TALK TO FRUITGROWERS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 12 October 1922, Page 5

TALK TO FRUITGROWERS

BY MbTaTTWOOD During the course of an address to (fruitgrowers at the Institute yesterday .afternoon by Mr Attwood, President of /the New Zealand Federation, some very sound advice was given, and much interesting information imparted. The attendance was not largo. Mr J. Hunter, secretary of the Nelson Provincial Fruitgrowers’ Council, was voted to the chair, and briefly introduced the speaker. In the course of his remarks Mr Attwood, after expressing his pleasure at beiug v preseut, said he was rather disappointed at the small attendance; but he assured his hearers that some of the best meetings he had attended were comSoscd of half-a-dozen men who were etenmned to do their best. Dealing ■with last year’s export he said the fruit ihad been exported under the Government guarantee of Id a lb, but so far all the claims had not been finally disposed of; and it was not an easy thing to get business through quickly with Government Departments’. The Federation was doing its best to hurry matters up, and he believed the Department would recognise the Federation’s figures and leave the insurance adjustment until later . Last year bad times bad been experienced; but he said in his experience the days of 20s and 40s a case wore passed and gone, and ho urged them not to base their expectations on any such figures, and they must set their Rouse in order so that 14s a case on the Home market will pay the growers; that was about the price they must expect. How wore they going to make it pay at these prices? The first thing to do was to reduce the cost of production; the problem was the fruitgrowers’, and the question of freights was the Federa- - tion’s. He asked growers not to butt ini ■on this. The Federation would do its very best to get the freights reduced. There was no better industiy in the Dominion were it on a sound paying basis; and that, is what they must make it, and he hoped to live to see it. Export had been, further by .fruit not arriving in good condition. The Federation had made representations to the shipping companies, and they declared it was some inherent defect in the fruit that was responsible. Similar difficulties had been experienced in the cool stores; and the companies did their best to keep the fruit at the required tem- / perature, but after a certain point difficulties were mbt with. As the result of experiments made in England .by the Cambridge Institute the Federation could novf go to the shipping companies and put them on ihe right track regarding past difficulties. FREIGHTS Regarding freights, unity of action was being aimed at among shippers of all produce; the Federation had the backing of the Meat Pool people in the matter, and lie advised his hearers to leave the question entirely ,to the Federation.

"Mr Attwood next referred to the part the Federation had taken in connection with getting the fruit guarantee reinstated. He had enlisted the support of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union Conference, then in session, the president of which body had accompanied him to the Prime Minister. The lls guarantee towards the cost of getting the fruit to market was the best the Federation could do, “and don’t you growl at it,” said the speaker. The co-operation . and assistance ; of growers was needed, and the Federation would work itself to the bone for them so long as loyalty was shown to the Federation. It had been asked that a representative should be sent Home in. the interests of the industry; -but this man had to be paid for, and the orchard tax would not cover the cost of sending such a representative Home. He urged that if growers put alt their fruit through the Federation, a sufficient, sum in rebates could bo obtained to finance the trip. Mr Attwood went on to say that he had received a cable from the High Commissioner a few days ago slating that the Cambridge Institute Was going to fit up a boat, as the result of experiments made last year, on winch an expert would travel. The boat was for the Australian-Tasmanian trade, but the Federation had been, asked to contribute to the cost, and had agreed to do so. Touching on South American markets, Mr Attwood said indications pointed to the fact that it would be a very weak market for New Zealand. This was due to a variety of reasons New Zealand had been advised not to send more than 22,000 cases, as if more was sent they would be in competition with' the Chilian market. He was, however, expecting further information by an early mail. There was not an atom of certainty about shipping to South America next year; only one boat was at present advertised. Even if the market was really good, there were difficulties to be met "with. Information in Iris possession led him to the belief that it was the English market we must look to. COMPULSORY " STANDARDISATION Mr Attwood went on to nay that he had a certain degree of sympathy with Nelson growers regarding their relations with the Federation in the past; but he did hot want to take up old history. However, he felt he was up against a spirit of mistrust and distrust, which paralysed one’s efforts when he realised it. He hoped this would disappear, and he urged growers to make the best use of tlie Federation..He asked growers not to make arrangements to see Ministers without informing the Federation of what was being done. He was referring especially to the deputation which waited on Ministers regarding compulsory standardisation. “I was asked in a casual sort of way to come along. But that is not good enough for me,” said Mr Xttwood with emphasis. “I should have been leading those men instead of following up at the tail end. I am not complaining, but I want you to realise it from my point of view.” A speaker at the deputation had assured the Minister that it wou(d not cost tin? Government anything, because the Nelson people were willing to pay for it themselves. ‘‘Oh, crikey !” exclaimed Mr Attwood, ‘‘when the Hawke’s Bay people heard of this they went behind my back again and sent a telegram to the Minister dissociating themselves from the matter, and then wrote to me and told me, what they had done. This kind of thing does not get you very far, and I had to go and straighten it out in the end you know. It would have been far better if these tilings came through the Federation and up to the Department instead of down to the Federation.” The attitude adopted had hung up the whole thing, and it was going to be a difficult matter to get compulsory standardisation this season, “I am not blaming you fellows,” went on The speaker; you did the best in the circumstances. You were so thoroughly in earnest that you were prepared to pay for it.”- He had told tne» Minister that he had demanded the scheme in the terms set out by the Committee, and would stick to it. So far as Nelson was concerned, if they wanted to make a special arrangement for inspection and supervision, then they could make it; but so far as the rest of the Dominion is concerned the. Federation was asking for compulsory standardisation without paying for it. Ha wanted the officers of the Department to He'given, power to inspect, which he thought would prove effective. Some of the districts did not want it, and the Minister saw that there was a diversity of opinion in the matter. He had seen Dr. Reekes and asked him to give any district the power to vote themselves out of it, but make it automatic for the whole Dominion.