THAT "HA'PORTH OF TAR."

Marlborough Express, Volume LIIII, Issue 83, 9 April 1920, Page 2

THAT "HA'PORTH OF TAR."

[XO THB EDITOR.!

Sir.—l notice in your .local columns reference to the fact 'that the Fruitgrowers' Feeleration state that 101 oases of apples were in a broken con■clitiosi upon inspection of the Nelson quota of apples going by the Athenic. The shipment of apples for tho /ithenic (per a.recent telegram) was 12,000 cawes from the Nelson district —showing less than 1 per cent, damaged, if the cases were anything Jike those supplied to the local fruitgrowers at Is 4d per case the Nelson growers have a reason to congratulate themselves.

Oases now offering at Is 4d to Is 6tl are certainly a disgrace to the" sellers. The gro.vers in many cases have no option—.they simply have to take any old thing, and if not careful with the skew-cut timber they are certainly fortunate if they reject, on their own account, in the vicinity of 10 per cent. Thus you cvi nqte the increased cost per ca«3 (I refer to the case only), j'ho eas3, too, instead of being a four-piece-.sided case is eight-piece, and tho case ends do not get tho advantage of tho extra bracing that would ensue if the sides were built with four-pieces, and the tendenesy is for the cn«?;3 to split a,t tho ends, especially following the-grain. The case timber offering now is tho fag and scrap stuff usually discarded at th© mills—ranging from matai (this does not split; oh no!) through the whole gamut to poplar and pinus insignis, andi is as rough-hewn as the •ancient dug-,outs which the prehistoric race of humans carved out with stout?.. Ido uot wish to t#ke up more space, Sir, but to F,ny that the Nelson growers are, in the main,"very foilunato fellows indeed, —I am, etc., GROWER.

[It may be ,of interest if we publish the remainder cif the paragraph from which the extract quoted by our cor-i-e?.pt(.mdent was taken. From this it will be seen that the onus is placed upon tii'} grower to see that his fruit is packed in strong and scry i (.cable cases: ''It is evident that insufficient caro is taken by some growers with tlunr case material and in the makeup of the case. Much of the wood is stacked in the sun and cracks, and material of this kind has been used, f:s well iis thin boards not strong enough even for local trade. Fault is also found with the ends, which seem to split vary easily. Poor nails., or the uf:e of short nails, accounts for ■n cons icier a bio percentage of damage. Nails should ho driven in on the angle, thus dovetailing and preventing drawing. Complaints of damaged ciia-s have been made by the ivliiirfingiuv, at Nelson and' Motueka before tho fruit was shipped., so the loss-cs f ram this ca.ir;e by tlie time tho fruit roaches Homo markets will be ro'u'.idorablo unless greater ca.re is ia]-:en J>y growers :n tho .selection of thoir export case material -.md its general make-up. Selecting good fruit .'.md packing it in frail cases seems a very unwise investment on the growers' part."—Ed.]