PENNY A POUND GUARANTEE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIV, 31 October 1921, Page 7

PENNY A POUND GUARANTEE

on expoet oe fruit

IS IT MORE BOTHER THAN IT IS WORTH?

DISCUSSION BA STOKE ERUITG ROWERS

! air A. V. AiljKJi r, a leading Nelson : fruitgrower, at a meeting of Uu> Stoke Fruitgrowers’ -Assoeia I inn evening made a statement (hat immediately ar--1 rested the alien!ion of those present. This was in the direction of suggesting doing away with the penny a pound ' guarantee on export iniil. tie -said: "The Government regain; ions lived careful revision in several matters, especially as to ■varieties, sizes, colour, mud inspection. Hie Jailer Would he Hindi simplified if we could do without 'the Id guarantee. The industry ought to lie aide to stand on its own now without it, except, that growers arc ' fimineed when; it would he v 'ery hard for individual growers to .ship without the cash, for ’shipping expenses. If ,ilie Id guarantee was discarded there 'would be no inducement lor the. unscrupulous grower to get bciiind the ’ inspectors' Mind. m their own inlerosis, 'they would no'# incur the risk and expense of shipping rubbish, thus doing away with (he great army of inspectors as needed at present. Another alteration to the benefit of the small growct’s would be- that as long as there is a guarantee, dealers in fruit should be allowed to participate,as I. know of a lot of fruit that would have been exported last wear, where growers of small lots would not go to the trouble of exporting on their own. They would have sold through dealers who had (he facilities for grading, packing, etc. for export. M " Tile chairman (.Mr d- T- Childs) said tl,ov always looked for a valuable lead iVom Mr Allpori- ,iiu! hi 1 would liKo to have more inionnalion regarding hi-, suggestion re removal of the penny a sound export. Mr Allport said the only redeeming feature about the penny a pound gua■■antoo was that growers were able to got financed. Otherwise it was mn much benefit. H the industry v, as not .ble to stand on its own after ad ib.e.se rears then they should do away s-dli if AVithont the guarantee they a on.!ci 1)0 rid of a lot of pell dogging 'divorumout iiuorlorouro. Also tjo •lumber of inspectors employed caused ‘xpendit.uro that was unwarranted. For tiiis iiie fruitgrower did not have •o pav directly, but indirectly he with he people as a whole had to pay. He knew the financial side of the mattei. Australian growers were no's getting any such assistance now. A little was dron in the earlier days. Phcie the slipping was done mainly through the

sm- firms wlio financed the “rower-s, Mr McClure; The penny a pound is to prowors in lliis wny. It is vurlli Is or os cash straight awa\. Mr Pickup, without snpporliny or ■ •pposinjy tin' surest ion, said tin' Id ’ douiul ynaranlee ceriainly placet! 'hein under the buyer of the .Oeparteeiil, A question was whether the Depart men (, would slick to its precon-•ei’.-ed ideas reyardiny export. ( Mr ,M-(1ur; said the .Department ivas at 1 present amending the reynla:ions in accordance with last year s experience, and was doing everything nosslhlo to place thinys on a sound

basis. Mi' Allport said Die trouble was :h;u the guarantee eneourayed micrapulous yrowers to yet behind the duck of the inspectors ami ship rubbish. 1 Mr St. .John said lm did not see now he Department, could reduce Hie inipeetion even if there was no ynaranee. He thenyht tlmy could do with a '•it more inspection rather than less. The thing wsis to keep up the. 'Similar.'!.

Mr AHpori said Inindreds of cases nt Meopntrass had been turned down beanse they were just too small vhercas this was just'the sire most in leimunl in London. Major (IrilHihs, speaking from e.\-leiiem-e of the orchard industry in dent. said, they found there that Lun!e.n . 1 ir! not mind whether apples ivere ■oh.mrod or not provided they vocre o! mod quality. Tin- large apples shey ■eii lu ’Manchester.