QUOTAS AND FRUIT MARKETING

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 21 August 1934, Page 7

QUOTAS AND FRUIT MARKETING

.[To the Editor!.. Sir, —There is very littlfi dOhht 'ih the minds of those who follow the trend of events in the markets of tlie'’world "and the action of Governments in relation to their own particular markets, that some form of restrictions or quotas on- imports has been or will be adopted. This is apparently unavoidable so long as the fallacy of overproduction is persisted in instead of getting down to the bedrock cause of the trouble, which is under consumption, due to the depleted purchasing power of the public, which again is due to an inadequate monetary system,

This restriction of imports, with a view to protecting the home producer of any particular commodity can only consistently apply if these imports are in competition with the home supply. As far as New Zealand fruit on the United Kingdom market is concerned, there is absolutely no argument in favour of quotas inasmuch a s the fruit arrives on the market at the time of the English off season for apples 1" and pears, But, and a very big but," the unrestricted entiy of our fruit can ..’only obtain provided it is cleared expeditiously, and, sir. it does not require-very much intelligence to know this cahnot be achieved by a restricted sales policy, which policy is being advocated and nursed by the Fruit Control Board in conjunction with the board’s United Kingdom representative, so that any restrictions on New Zealand fruit entering the United Kingdom would be entirely due to the faulty sales policy of ‘ the Control Board if that policy is persisted in. d-■ ;»

It is no secret that Mr Turner advocates a single agency scheme. This is stated in his 1U34 report, and, unless the board instructs Mr Turner ft) dome to terms with the main group of brokers, success in securing an expeditious clearing of our fruit is impossible. This not only applies to London but is equally important. in the provinces. If our fruit is to be anything like cleared before the English apple crop comes along, a very much wider scheme of distribution than a single agency policy can produce in the provinces is essential.

If we wish to avoid quotas being enforced this single agency nightmare will have to be dropped for all time,;' not only in London but all over England, and the sooner the Control Board wakes up to this fact the sooner growers will cease to pay for the board’s mistakes. —I am, etc.,

JNO. N. WALKER. Twyford, Hastings, 18tli August.