STONE FRUIT

Grey River Argus, 19 March 1941, Page 8

STONE FRUIT

Growers and Marketing CHRISTCHURCH, March 18. Opposition to the standardisation of the stone fruit industry, which it com siders is likely to be brought about by the Government, is expressed by the Christchurch Tomato and Stone I Fruit Growers’ Association in an ediitorial headed “Standardisation” in its monthly journal. “If growers are to ward off the catastrophe which is about to befall the industry they must get together and fight to the end, ’ states the article, which adds. • “Recently there has been considerable comment through the press on the Government marketing of pip fruits. This has brought to light many ridiculous regulations involving considerable unnecessary charges, such as > the Internal Marketing Department buying fruit from itself to supply to Burnham Camp, and paying an auctioneer 10 per cent, commission. Further, an official was sent from Wellington, to ask the Rangiora retailers if they would like to take their fruit off the Loburn lorry, instead of coming into Christchurch for It. There are two departments in Christchurch either of which could have done the job. “These costs are a charge on the grower, who is not receiving a living wage, and who is to receive a whole 5d a case increase this year. Before the Government can take over an industry it must be standardised for the purpose of fixing grades and fixing prices. “There appears to be not the slightest doubt, according to the Director of Horticulture whose letter we published in our last issue that it is the Government’s intention to standardise the stone fruit. One can only assume that tomatoes and vegetables are to follow. Standards and grades for these have been in circulation for some time now. “The people who were the advocates of standardisation of pip fruits can be held to be largely .responsible for the trouble the pip fruit-growers find themselves in to-day. Some of them are tireless in their efforts to strangle the stone fruit, tomato and vegetable’ growers in the same way To raise a fund, it was decided to ask all stone fruit growers to subscribe. Already we have received a donation of £1 from a chairman of a pip fruitgrowers’ organisation—one who knows of the disastrous rerilts to the grower of Government ma. "'feting of pip fruit.”