FRUITGROWERS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVIII, Issue 137, 24 May 1928, Page 4

FRUITGROWERS

H.B. PROVINCIAL CONFERENCE TWELFTH ANNUAL GATHERING. 119 REMITS TO BE DEALT WITH, The twelfth annual Hawke’s Bay provincial conference of the New Zealand Fruit-Growers' Federation was held in the Oddfellows’ Hall, Hastings, to-day Mr. A. M. Robertson, Hawke's Bay director of the Federation, in the chair. Mr. H. E. Napier, secretary of the Federation, was also present. Twenty delegates attended to elect delegates to the Dominion conference. to be held at Wellington on Wednesdays June 13, and to consider 149 remits which will be dealt with at the Dominion conference. Several fruitgrowers were also in attendance and were permitted to join in the discussions. The chairman extended a warm welcome to the delegates. Mr. R. Paynter desired to know if the delegates to the Dominion conference were to be bound by the decisions of the conference in their voting. The chairman said that in some remits on which Hawke's Buy was absolutely decided, delegates should he bound 1 , but in other cases they should be allowed a free hand. It was decided that delegates should be bound as to some remits upon which the conference was rigid, but in other matters that they be allowed a free hand. CHAIRMAN’S ADDRESS. The chairman, in his opening address, said that as representing Hawke’s lay on the directorate oi the Federation, it was his duty to give an account of his stewardship. Besides attending the several directors’ meetings he, together with Mr. Baumgart, Hawke's Bay agent for the Federation, made two waits to Gisborne. On the hist occasion they addressed the fruitgrowers, and on the second they visited almost every orchard, making use of the opportunity to book up supplies, giving information re the bnanj spraying system and also on the work ol the Federation and Control Board. The growers were also urged to get into the export business, and in all possible ways were made acquainted with the work generally. Several visits were also made to Bay View, and, together with Mr. Paynter, an association was formed in that district. ft was hoped at a later stage to link them up with the N.Z, Fruitgrowers’ Federation when the constitution was finally confirmed, making provision for small fruit-growers or tomato growers to be affiliated, A visit, he said, had been also made to Masterton and Greytown districts, and it was believed that good spade work had been done in making known something about what was going on in Federation quarters. From, a small beginning, when a few of them met at Wellington in 1916, the Federation had grown to be a trading concern of sound standing, with a turn over for the past year of over £75.000. One prominent member of Parliament to-day was then a keen opponent at that meeting to any trading being undertaken, and, instead of the acreage tax as we knew it to-day, he wished to institute a case of fruit tax. , UNWISE OPTIMISM. “It is with mixed feelings that one thinks of the present and future of the fruit-growing industry,” said Me Robertson. “It would be unwise to believe that there is a particularly bright future before it. Prices in Europe will not have a very great profit after all costs have been paid. The first two shipments of apples tb arrive in South America have met with good prices, and it is hoped that these be maintained. “It is very evident that New Zealand must send her pears to arrive on a later market in Europe, otherwise she will meet with too great a com petition from South Africa, which has this season exported over 900,000 crates to England. If headway is to be made, costs must be kept down and profits of iho fat years Im saved up to meet the expenses of the lean years, for in the natural order of fruit-growing we get our set-backs. Our very good friends, the Press, are apt to mislead the public when they place such headings over cabled prices as ‘ln Good Demand,’ ‘Good Prices Being Realised,’ etc., when, as a matter of fact there may be very little for the pro Auction of the fruit. SOME RESERVATIONS. “Local statements have been made from time to time about the enormous crops being obtained per acre in this district. There may be truth in such statements, but there pre also reservations. I understand that at least one big orchard, which is reput cd to have exported 1000 bushels per acre, is this year having a number of unprofitable apple trees worked over to another variety. I have, during the last fifteen years, had some hundreds of trees worked over to varieties that seem to be more suitable, and so the work goes on from year to year. Something in high favour today may bo quite unprofitable tomorrow, and thus expense is incurred and long waits occur which put quite a different complexion upon general averages. However, most of us are content with our lot'and would wish for no other occupation. “In conclusion, I would add that the directors have continued confidence in Mr Brasch as president, ti gentleman the fruitgrowers of. this Dominion are fortunate in having ns their head. We also have every confidence in Mr Napier, who is the exo-cutivc-in-chicf. without whose careful guidance and diplomacy it is hard to say what would happen at times. Indeed the whole staff of the Federation desire the best thanks of all concerned.” (Applause.) QUESTION OF INSURANCE. The chairman brought up the question of an insurance scheme to insure the growers against loss on their exports. He pointed out that the fruitgrowers could -not continue their export trade if the Government guarantee of a penny a case was withdrawn. It was owino to this guarantee that the federation could finance the growers in their exports, and that branch of the, industry could not be carried on without it.

The Government would be more prepared to assist in their protection of the industry if the growers were prepared to assist themselves by the establishment of a scheme of insurance at a levy per case. If they got together and budt up such a fund, it would encourage the Government to help’ them It might not be necessary to call upon it for some years and the Government should have first call on such a fund, which would make the Government more secure against loss but the growers must make a start as some time or another they piust stand by themselves. The scheme should be looked upon as an insurance scheme simply, guaranteeing so much a case, and when a member ceased to be an orchardist or ceased to pay into the fund, then he should cease to have any ciaim upon it. Mr. Milne said he agreed with the chairman’s remarks. The fund must be stable, and if it was liable to cause legislation or other drawbacks it would lose its Value as a guarantee to the Government against loss. Mr. Baker pointed out that such an insurance would be an asset to a grower who desired to sell his orchard. After having made the sale he should have no claim on the benefits conferred by the fund. On the motion of Messrs Hardy and Baker, it was unanimously re solved: “That this conference supports the Control Board in it s proposals t 0 create a centra] fund for the purpose of protecting the Government guarantee such fund »o Be created by the board collecting the maximum levy of 3d per case, and. after paying ordinary expenses, transfer balance of each year’s lew to such central fund; provision to be made whereby, in the event of the fund reaching a sum considered to be sufficient, that vearly contributions be refunded, commencing with the first y-ear’s contributions to the shippers, in the proportion of iho individual contributions made.” The conference then went into ten. sideration of the remits to go before the Dominion conference