FRUITGROWERS FEDERATION.

Northern Advocate, 19 July 1915, Page 2

FRUITGROWERS FEDERATION.

MEETING IN AUCKLAND

On Friday afternoon a meeting of fruitgrowers was held in Auckland for the purpose of hearing addresses from Messrs A. M." Robertson (President), J. Longhon (secretary), and S. Martell, of the New Zealand Fruitgrowers' Federation. The object of the meeting was to put forward the advantages of joining the Federation. It was explained that all the growers except those in the Auckland district favoured the Federation. The speakers pointed out the great advantages that followed cc-operation. They urged that one large and influential body, representing the whole Dominion, would be able to achieve much greater benefits for the industry than a number of small bodies. The main need of a Federation at the present juncture was claimed to be the finding of a fresh market or markets for New Zealand fruit. Mr Martell showed that the area planted in orchards had increased so rapidly that in the course of a year or so New Zealand would produce no less than 3,632,160 cases of apples and that was a conservative estimate. Last year the total export trade of the Dominion to the only market at present open (South America) was 67,964 cases. If they did not succeed in getting fresh markets, the industry would be in a parlous state, and the Dominion and South America would not be able to take anything like the output. It was felt in the South that Auckland did not quite realise th 6 position that would face the industry shortly. The speakers also pointed out that a strong Federation could also do a lot in the way of getting reasonable freights from the shipping companies on the same lines as the National Dairy Association in regard to butter. The visitors were thanked for their addresses, and a small committee was set up to go into the question of federation. Mr Alan Wilson presided.