AUSTRALIAN ORANGES

Northern Advocate, 9 November 1934, Page 8

AUSTRALIAN ORANGES

RETAILERS’ BOYCOTT. PRICE EXCESSIVE. COMMITTEE APPOINTED. [Per Press Association.—Copyright.) WELLINGTON, This Day. A meeting of over 200 Wellington fruiterers yesterday declared a boycott on South Australian oranges, A resolution was carried stating that the price asked for the present class of oranges was excessive, and that the retail fruiterers refused to purchase any further oranges until the price was reduced. A committee was appointed to consider the unsatisfactory way in which retailers were being compelled to buy inferipr quality oranges at a ridiculously’ high rate. Mr R. A. Wright, M.P., assured the meeting that he would call attention to the matter in the House of Representatives. . ■ Mr W. Hatch, president of the European Retail Fruiterers’ Association, said the fruit came from South Australia, and new supplies were not sold to retailers until the previous stock was disposed of. Meantime, the oranges were kept in cool , storage, which was definitely deleterious. Retailers suffered a loss often as much as 25 per cent on a case through the fruit having to be condemned. He gave an instance of a case of oranges which had been opened in the presence of Mr R. A, Wright, M.P. Out of a total of 216 oranges, 57 proved to be bad. The leading Wellington wholesale fruit merchants refused to make any statement pending the arrival on Saturday from Dunedin of Mr ‘C. N. S. Mueller/.of the Australian Fruitgrowers’ Association.