EXPORT OF FRUIT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 9488, 10 August 1891, Page 6

EXPORT OF FRUIT.

TO THE EDITOR. Sib, —In your report of the meshing of the Committee of the Canterbury Fruitgrowers’ Association, Mr Murphy, by implication, assumes I am one of tho parties referred to in his report from the Tasmanian Mail as to the bad quality and packing and short weight iu the eases sent Home. So far from such being tho case, I had thoroughly reliable people, personally interested in the success of apple export. The only case which realised 21s was one grown and packed by him. The Company I represent is myself, and I took every precaution, as I thought, to ensure success by personally assisting and supervising. The Styx proprietor offered me at one time, by letter, the pick of his fruit at a penny, and share in profits. Except its first 100 cases by the Tongariro, which, tho same as the 100 from Auckland, realised high prices, the Styx Company has been strictly reticent as to its returns. A few weeks since I was informed that tho shippers who bought their apples stated that they had lost *SGO on one cargo not from loss by machinery. Mr Murphy states they have made a profit. If lia means above the lls 9d at Id a pound cost, I much doubt it on each shipment. Those Mr Murphy quotes, in all 7050 cases, did not average that, and must have involved loss, while choice ones from Auckland, sold early in May, averaged 10s fid. Prices vary much on the same day, and for tho same kind of fruit. Twenty Beauty of Kent realised 4s, 32 8s 3d; 43 Green Nonpareils 5s fid and '134 8s fid. These are ail gross, subject to London charges. The 7s 9d I quoted in my letter was “ net.” My object, in stating the ruinous prices, caused by failure in the machinery, was to show exporters of fruit, and dairy produce also, the need of being able to cover such risk by shipowners devising some system of assurance for them. As to weight, many of my cases had 431 b of fruit in, 31b over the standard of Tasmania. Mr Murphy omits to note the effect on the market of 50,000 cases arriving from Tasmania in one week. Note the difenco in their prices during 1890 and 1891 : —On April 20, 1890, 905 cases were sold. More than one-fifth realised 20a to 235, only 13 as low as 14s. On the same date iu 1891, of 480 sold, only 17 realised from 20s to 23a, average about 13s, some as low as 83 and 5a 3d. On April 28, 1890, of 1849 cases sold, 80 averaged 21s, tho bulk 18s and Ifis. On the same date iu 1891, of 650 sold, 23 made 15s fid (highest price), 85 12s, 256 lls, 112 8s fid. On May 19, 1890, 3615 cases were sold; the bulk made 14s, lowest 123 6d. On June 1, 1891, of 1345 eases, 55 made 12s fid, 350.115, others 10s, 9s, 83 and ss. 1 think some of mine were put up in far too large .10t5—225 Adam’s Pearmains, in one lot, for instance. As stated in my previous letter, other markets beside London require to be opened up. Three lots of butter I consigned to the West of England paid me. In London it might have been slaughtered, as I consider many of the apples have been.—lam, &c., J. PECKOVER. Christchurch, August 8.