STANDARDS FOR FRUIT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 28 April 1937, Page 7

STANDARDS FOR FRUIT

APPLICATION NEXT YEAR MINISTER'S REPLY TO CRITICISM To meet tin 1 wishes of growers, tho Mmister for Industries find ( oiinueue, the lloiu.D, G. Sullivan, has decided to defer uulii next year the application of standards in the fruitgrowing industry. This was announced by Mr Sullivan in a statement made, yesterday morning, in whieli lie dealt with criticism of the Government's plans for fruit. Commenting on the discussion which took place at a meeting of Canterbury fruitgrowers, reported in “The Press of Friday, 28th April, Mr Sullivan said he appreciated the spirit of goodwill that permeated the discussion, although it appeared that there was some little concern in tiie minds of tho fruitgrowers which could only have arisen from a misconception of the position. No doubt, this was due to an intimation from the Department of Agriculture to the effect that standards would apply as from Ist August. This was contained in an advice recently issued concerning the basis on which tiie £40,000 subsidy would be distributed. Since then it Had been decided to defer the application of standards until Ist January, 1938, and this was in accordance with the most recently expressed wishes of the fruitgrowers which had been met, fit least ill this respect, in advance. CRITICISM PREMATURE The criticism of standards, however, was quite premature in view of the fact that up to the present no standard hud been finalised, much less issued, the Minister said. He understood that the Department of Agriculture had issued regulations covering the grading requirements to which growers would need to. conform in order to take advantage of the subsidy which tiie Government had made available through the grant of the £40,000 devoted to this purpose. It would he readily understood that .in making this amount available it was necessary to provide conditions, in the interest o*' both the growers and the public, under which the subsidy would be distributed. He was informed however, that the grading regulations for the export of fruit had been considerably relaxed in iaying down the provisions under which the benefit of tho subsidy would be available to individual growers. Any suggestion that the Government was adopting tiie attitude of undue interference with the fruitgrowers would be therefore exceedingly ungenerous and he was glad to know that with the vast majority this attitude found no support. CONDITIONS IN INDUSTRY The facts of the position were that tiie £40,000 granted had been made available to assist the fruitgrowers because of the straightened circumstances in which the industry found itself, according to the representations made to the Government requesting that some assistance he given to enable the industry to rationalise itself, in the best interests of all concerned. The industry itself had also asked for the adoption of standards to provide an equitable basis on wliicli fruit could be, marketed. The Government had devoted considerable attention and ellort to this consideration on behalf of the fruitgrowers and had requested the Standards Institute to institute a committee within its organisation representative of all parties, includ-, ing tiie growers, to promulgate standards that would satisfy the consensus of •union of all interests concerned. This work was in process of being carried out, tho committee consisting of representatives of (lie following organisations: Department of Agriculture, Fruit Export Control Hoard, Fruitgrowers ’Association, Auctioneers’ Association, Retail Distributors’ Association, Department of Industries and Commerce, Standards Institute. “NO COERCION” It was intended as soon as draft standards were completed to circulate these to growers and other affected interests for comment and such comment as was received would lie considered by the committee as a guide towards final conclusions that, would best satisfy the balanced interests of all concerned. The regulations which were to come into force on Ist August, of tliis year should not be confused with the ultimate standards that were to substitute the existing regulations. The standards which would bo issued ultimately would substitute these existing regulations because it was fell to be more desirable that such control as was warranted in the general interest could ho obtained with more satisfaction to all parties, and therefore, with more success, on the basis of provisions evolved bv the common consent of those a fleeted than could be brought about by regulations arbitrarily issued. It would thus be seen that so far from desiring to coerce industry, the Government was taking active measures to supplant coercive regulation with co-operative regulation to a degree that had not pertained in the past. Herein was represented the difference between regulation by compulsion and regulation or restraint by mutual consent. With tins clarification of Lite position, the Minister said, lie felt that the fruitgrowers would appreciate that the Government was making an honest effort G'eir behalf that would yield to them ny _ progressive stages the 'conditions which they had been seeking for so long without avail.