CORRESPONDENCE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXIX, Issue 227, 25 September 1895, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

OUR FRUIT-GROWING INDUSTRY.

To thk Editor of tiie 'Evening Mail.'

Sir— lt is not to be wondered at that our Government has been so shamefully beaten in their hasty aud ill-advised attempt to encourage and assist fruitgrowing in New Zealand, The measure brought into Parliament to do so by an absurd duty on fruit which cannot be grown in the land, and which greatly interfered with the island trade, was sure to be defeated. The intention to encourage the growing of apple 3 and pears was cleverly knocked on tbe head by a .side wind, as Mr Seddon said. The whole procaeding of the last few days iv Parliament, whioh by no moans throws a brilliant light on the capacity .and political honesty of our rulers, affords a very interesting object lesson in regard to fruitgrowing, which, as you can hear from every nvoutb, is the least thing which will ever pay in Nelson. This is true to a certain extent, but is not the fault of the Government.

A good few of our fruit-growers hero are of opinion that the proviso to fruit duties, whioh prevents to collect from the 30th of April to the 30th November in each year a duty on apples and pears imported into New Zealand, will be the ruin of our fruitgrowing industry. I will not go so far, although it gives all the advantages to tha importer at the expense of the New Zealand grower, and instead of being a help it is a great drawback to our successful applegrowing, that is to say if wo remain in our old groove and do not learn from the cxperienco of othors.

Perhaps. Mr Editor, you will kindly allow me to explain more fully what I mean. It is not very long ago that wo poor fruitgrowers were obliged to hunt for customers all over New Zealand, and many were the losses caused to fruiterers. Later on wo fell into the hands of small agents, who oertainly ordered more fruit, but let us wait longer for the money, if they paid at all. All this is altered now. By tbo concentration of interest of fruitgrowers elsewhere, the exportation of all fruit there passes through the hands of praoiical packers and sorters, which give a guarantee of its uniformity ond good quality. Tois, aided by regular lines of ocean steamers, calling at Hobart, &o, produoed a regular Bup ly ol sound marketable fruit of all kinds, and induced merchonts of standing in our centres to enter largely into the sale of fruit. They manago not alono to lot thousands of oases of apples pass under their hammer at fair prices, but give — and this is the main point —cash returns every week. No other produce in New Zealand, and perhaps nowhere else, has such an easy, brilliant, and safe opportunity to realise, and yet wo cry; Fruitgrowing does not pay. Of course not, in the way we manage I I have before mo a lot of marked reports on fruit, whioh these apple kings in Wellington send out every week. The prices there realized show in July and August last as a rule i Tasnianiati apples from 8s to 10s, and Nelson from os fid to 7s per full case. This difference runs along iv tho same proportion in all its variations, and as a rule, not bad prices. Looking at these figures it must seem at the first glance that Hobart produces bettor apples than Nelson, either in quality, llavour, or kind. No greater mistake can be made. Australia, Tasmania, and I include Auckland as well, are not able to produce apples equal to the Province of Nelson. We are able to beat the whole lot together if the Government should feel prepared in their wisdom to decide this question at the next Intercolonial Fruit Growers' Conference, which takes place in Wellington nex_t year. Hobart is ahead of us in quantities of a few practical kinds, but by no means in quality. We, as a rule, have too ninny different kinds, The reason why notwithstanding all this we play second iidillo in the market is simply beoiusooiu- old fashioned way of exporting fruit pays no longer, and tho old las»y oomforttng idea that an applo is an apple is exploded long ago. But the greatest drawback is the fact that nearly all our exports In tho iruit lino aro cwrlou out by storekeepers, who havo neither time nor leisure to see what is in tho cases, and it is this mass of rubbish which causes loss and gives Nolson a bad name, No wondor that people pay a high prioo for well sorted and sound Hobart fruit, and will not look at Nelson apples, Tho famous proviso ia the tariff that tho duty on apples and pears is only halfpenny per lb after tho 30th Apiil was a marvellous master stroke of diplomacy on the part of tbo fat )«aP, as Iho Bulletin would say, The end of April is about the time when ovory sensible fruit-grower begins to gather [ his late keeping apples and pears. The | advantage of o penny duty per lb before that date will of course olear our orchards long; before that, and tho lot of um-ipe green stuff that will bo forced under tho hammer will bo like a great tornado whioh puriflos the country and gives fresh air to breathe, when Tasmania begins its campaign, Hobart can calmly look on and wait its time for good prices, because her large cool store houses preservo the fruit admirably up to Novomber. Wo have nothing of the kind here, and old stables, sheds, and hay lofts must keep the opples, or else allow thsra to rot. This is the first point whore our reform ought to begin, and combination only will do it.

t Ido not know, Mr Editor, If these rambling remarks will cause sulllciont interest amongst my fellow fruit-growers and others 1 who take a favourable view of the matter to shake oft' their present iudifferonoo and see if any practical steps can ho taken to put now life into tho fruit industry. Perhaps you might kiudly open your columns to allow the question to be sifted, wbioh is of much importance to so many, or oven there might be a possibility that our long silent Nelson Fruitgrowers' Association wakes up and shows a little of its former activity again. I think, Sir, I have now troubled you and the reader long enough. I am, Ac,

„ . „ „ C' WIESENDAVEIIN. Spring Grove, bept. 2L