FRUITGROWERS MEETING

Mt Benger Mail, 3 September 1941, Page 3

FRUITGROWERS MEETING

A meeting of fuitgrowers was held on me 2sth to receive the report of the ■; delegates!' Messrs llainsworth ond Hinton, to the Dominion Conference at Wellington. Mr R. Glendiuning occupied the chair and in introducing the speakers apologised for the absence of the president of tue Association, Mr George, who w-as in Dunedin.

Before the delegates spoke Mr Kim.aird, Otago Director of the N-Z. Federation, read a letter he had tirst received intimating that tlic Standards Institute was undertaking the preparation of standards for fresh fruit and indicating »the various bodies that would be represented. This information he said was rather disquieting for it appeared as if, in tlie fare of opposition from the industry au<f a promise from the Minister, grading regulations were still going to be forced on the industry.

Air Hinton reported on the enquiry held by the Parliamentary Committee at which he had given evidence on behalf of Otago, Canterbm— was also represented. Messrs Dallas and Thorpe gave evidence on behalf of the Department of Horticulture. Otago and Canterbury opposed the regulations while the officers of the Department spoke in favour of them. The- result of the enquiry was a recommendation to Parliament that the petition of Canterbury that that part of the Fruit Regulations referring to stone fruit be revoked, received favourable consideration.

Mr Hai nsworth reported on the conference and followed with a report on the pronosal of the I.M. Department to make certain changes in the sizes groups and prices of apples and pears for next season. The changes eomrised a schedule of four groups "" ,T >le varieties and a range of preferred sizes.

On each section of the proposal there was a general discussion and the following decisions were reached. :

"That ‘Clcopatras’ b<> n-in-stated iu tiroll]) I and that in regard to sizes while the maximum is acceptable the mininiu;m is 100 high and should he altered to one size less than the minimum of last year,. The discount for outsizes to be ’id in place of (id.

The proposal to have a group 4 comprising a large number of varieties regarded as unprofitable evoked considerable discussion. It was pointed out that the- elimination of these varieties which would be the ultimate result would be a hardship on some growers and it was felt that where any of these varieties were grown in any quantity some arrangement should he" made to market them. It was decided that these recommendations shou’d I e placed before the. Jingo Advisory Committee.