Quotas and Fruit-Marketing

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 210, 18 August 1934, Page 6

Quotas and Fruit-Marketing

(To the Editor.) Sir, —There is very little doubt ia tho minds of those who follow tho trend of events m the markets or the world and the action of Governments in relation to their own particular market* that some form of restrictions or quota* on imports has been or will be adopted. This is apparently unavoidable so long as the iallacy of over-production is persisted in instead of getting down to the bedrock cause of the trouble which is under-consumption due to the depleted purchasing power of th* public, which again is due to an inadequate monetary system

This restriction of import* with a view to protecting the home producer of any particular commodity can only consistently apply if these import* ate in competition with the home supply. As far as New Zealand fruit on the United Kingdom market is concerned there is absolutely no argument m favour of quotas, inasmuch as the fruit arrives on the market at th* time ol the English off season for apple* and pears. But—and a big but—the unrestrained entry of our fruit can only obtain provided it is cleared expeditiously, and Sir. it docs not require very much intelligence to know this cannot be achieved By a restricted sales policy, which policy is being advocated and nursed by the Fruit Control Board in conjunction with the board’s United Kingdom representative, so that nn.) restrictions on New Zealand fruit entering the United Kingdom would be entirely due to the faulty sales pilicy of the Control Board if that ixihcy is persisted in. It is no secret that Mr Turner advo cates a single agency scheme; this is stated in his 1934 report, and unles the board definitely instructs Mi Turner to come to terms with the main group of brokers we cess in securing an expeditious clearing of our fruit is impossible. This not only applies to London but is equally important in the provinces. It our fruit is to be anything likJ cleared before the English apple cron comer along a very much wider scheme of distribution than a single agency polic . can effect in the provinces is essential. If we wish therefore to avoid quotas being enforced this single agency night mare will have to be dropped for all time not only in London but all over England, and the sooner the board wakes up to this fact the soonei growers will cease to pay for th< board’s mistakes.—Vours, etc., J. N. WALKER Twyford, 18/8/84.