BANANAS FROM SAMOA

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 15 January 1936, Page 3

BANANAS FROM SAMOA

MARKETING SYSTEM

CHRISTCHURCH DECISION (By Telegraph—l’rcss Association? CHRISTCHURCH, 13th January. Christchurch retail fruiterers decided to-night to buy no more bananas until the present system of marketing Samoan bananas is changed. The decision was made at a meeting of the Canterbury Fruit Growers’ Association. It was agreed that the present stocks of bananas held by retailers and sub-contractors should be pooled and divided among the members of the association and sold as quickly as possible. When this supplj' has been exhausted it will.not be possible for the public to buy bananas from shops Owned by members of the association. It was stated that' the South Island Federation was- united and there was ho possibility of the fruit being dumped in the territory of other associations. As stated, at the meeting -of the fruiterers, objection is to the system by which one tenderer obtains control of the whole quota' of bananas for Christchurch, the effect of which was that retailers and the public had to pay too high prices. It was the opinion of retailers that the prices for bananas this year would be 18s 6d a case, which, it was stated, was 5s 6d too much. The present system was iniquitous in that it Created a monopoly in a staple commodity.