EXPORT APPLES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 5 April 1926, Page 5

EXPORT APPLES

FEDERATION MANAGER DENIMS CONGESTION "NELSON RUMOURS WITHOUT FOUNDATION" In connection with statements concerning congestion of export fruit at Wellington, Thursday's Dominion states: — In regard to the alleged congestion of fruit for export at Wellington, Mr 11. E. Napier, secretary of the New Zealand Fruitgrowers Federation, and secretary to the New Zealand Fruit Control Board, when approached on the matter Jast night, said that so far as he was aware there was no congestion. lie was, in fact, sure that the rumours in Nelson, were without foundation. There were at the present moment several ships loading ready for overseas export. It. was, however, not possible to handle fruit over the Easter holidays and therefore it was useless for further inspections to be made from Nelson until next Tuesday. Mr Napier was reticent in regard to the placing of fruit in the ordinary cargo sheds. A DIFFERENT STATEMENT BY HARBOUR BOARD OFFICIAL Subsequinet.lv the secretary of the Harbour Board (Mr A. (!. Harnett), was communicated with in regard to the matter, lie said that apparently (here was congestion in Wellington. Since about ten, days ago it had been impossible to cope with the large amounl of fruit arriving in Wellington. The Fruit Control Board had made arrangements with the Wellington Harbour Board for tlie cool storage of 50.000 cases of apples, and .t was not possible to accommodate a greater number of cases* of fruit in the. apple storage, chambers. The cheese co.ol storage chambers alongside were, also full and therefore a request from the Fruit Control Board for further cool storage could not lie acceded to. The Harbour Board had stated in reply that it - was impossible to get more than 50,000 cases of apples into the chamber leased- to the Fruit Control Board, who had subsequently asked for storage in the ordinary cargo sheds. This was granted, but Mr Harriett added that he was not in a position, to. say whether the fruit had deteriorated as a lesult of being placed in these buildings. He thought, the Control Board had done, its best- in the circumstances, and the Harbour Board had certainly done everything within its power. Apparently the Nelson growers had had a most prosperous season, and there had been difficulty at many points in coping v.tih the extraordinary quantity of apples.