ORANGE MARKET

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 24 October 1941, Page 7

ORANGE MARKET

SUPPLIES ARRIVE FROM AUSTRALIA After being practically unprocurable for two or three weeks, oranges are once more on sale in Wellington shops. A shipment of 5000 cas. s of valencias, for distribution throughout the Wellington province, has arrived from Australia, and further supplies are expected. Asked yesterday whether ‘there was any prospect of the shortage recurring, the Acting-Director of the Internal Marketing Division, Mr R. P. Fraser, recalled the recent statement of the Minister of Marketing, Mr Barclay, that, with Australia the only source of supply and with shipping difficulties, consignments might not be arriving as regularly as was hoped. Mr Fraser added, however, that he did not see any immediate difficulty ahead. During the recent shortage, with the Australian market bare between the cropping seasons for navels and Valencias, only a few New' Zealand oranges have been obtainable, and these have brought abnormal prices, ranging.up to ]6d each. Mr Fraser said that it was (legal for retailers to charge this price j because of the high cost of the fruit to j them at auction. They were not per ' milted, however, to make a profit of I more than 40 per cent on their intoj store cost. ; The maximum retail prices for the I Australian oranges now on sale range ; from Is to 3s 6d a dozen, according to i grade. There are relatively few available at the highest and lowest prices, the normal price for fair-sized oranges being from 2s 7d to 3s 3d a dozen.