AUSTRALIAN ORANGES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 295, 10 November 1934, Page 11

AUSTRALIAN ORANGES.

REPLY TO BOYCOTT. STATEMENT BY OFFICIAL. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Nov. 9. “If I could make known to the public all that is taking place, I feel sure they would appreciate that what is being done is in the best interests of the consuming public as well as of retailers,” said Mr C. N._ S. Mueller, New Zealand representative of the Murray Citrus Growers’ Co-operative Association of Australia, Ltd., to-day, commenting on the boycott of Australian oranges by Wellington friuterers on the grounds of poorness of quality and excessiveness of price. “The position that has been taken up is that the retailers must have the fruit as it lands and let any surplus from previous consignments continue to deteriorate,” continued Mr Mueller. If the local retailers ‘ conduct their business in this manner it is no wonder they talk of their losses, but -1 cannot countenance such a procedure with any grower’s fruit. As the fruit arrives from Australia and America in cool storage, it is only exhibiting ignorance to state that our fruit deteriorates because it is held in New Zealand for two weeks in cool store. The fruit we send to England remains in the cooler for two months and your New Zealand apples are held here for months with no detrimental effect. “With reference to the small fruit complaint, in Australia the small fruit has an enhanced value at times when prices rise generally.- At this time of the year my growers were under the impression that they were shipping what was required, rather than something objectionable. During the season I have consistently made good retailers’ legitimate losses. I have not permitted a variation in the price and the market has never been without oranges. “What the retailer really wants is difficult to understand. What I do know is that, on the present prices marked up in shop windows, the retailer is getting more in two weeks for a case of oranges than the grower gets in 12 months, but I have no quarrel with that position, as I know that the costs of retailing are high. “With reference to a statement alleged to have been made by the secretary of the retailers at Dunedin that oranges were very scarce on the Dunedin unarket. T have his personal assurance that the statement was not made by him, and if anyone wants 1000 cases of oranges at Dunedin I can supply them from stocks, and to a large extent the same applies in every port from Dunedin to Auckland, so that the alleged shortage is all “moonshine.’ ”

REFERENCE IN HOUSE. DUNEDIN’S POSITION. WELLINGTON .Nov. 10. After referring to the prevalence of influenza in Dunedin and to the value of oranges as food for sick people Mr F Jones asked the Minister of Customs (Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates) in the House of Representatives yesterday

whether he would take immediate steps to secure an adequate supply of oranges from Australia and their sale at prices within the mean of workers. Mr Coa.tes, in reply, said that urgent inquiries were- being made and that the Government would take all possible steps to safeguard the interests of the community. Mr Jones said later that inquiries had revealed ample supplies of oranges in store in New Zealand. A representative of the Australian fruitgrowers was prepared to ship part of these stocks to any place where there was a shortage. Moreover, there would be a shipment of 8000 cases of Jamaican oranges arriving in the Dominion in December.