MARKETING FRUIT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18325, 15 February 1923, Page 9

MARKETING FRUIT.

Sir, —The letters of "Orchardist" and "Applejack" cannot, fail to convey a wrong impression regarding the retail fruit trade in Auckland and. district. In the first place the public would not pay 8d per pound for Burbanks if they were on sale at such ridiculous prices, and as for Gravens'teins being lOd per pound this is surely a gross misstatement of fact, or the writer cannot be serious. ' I am quite sure , that if "Orchardist's" Gravensteins and Scarlet Pearmains only realised 2s 8d a case at auction, they must have been of very poor quality, as good fruit at Auckland markets always commands a good figure—l have myself seen such quality sold at from 10s to 14s 6H a case. The real remedy for these poor growers is not to blame the auctioneers or retailers, and brand the latter as profiteers, i but to send good quality only .to the I auction, and grade the stuff properly. I have often bought good-Looking fruit at hig'x prices, and on unpacking found small, inferior, under-sized, and misshapen fruit inside, though top and bottom were excellent. Can those who pack such fruit wonder if their stuff fails to command the prices they . expect. In Palmerston North, though it is only ; a village in comparison, fruiterers and the [ public cquld buy graded fruit from either Hawke's Bay or Nelson, and the quality was the same all through the case. In 99 cases out of 100 one knew what he' was buying. Auckland might well advance on modern lines in such matters, and not allow provincial towns to lead the way. As to "Applejack," h«i likewise cannot be taken seriously. I refer to the portion of his letter where he states he received £d per pound and the retailer 6d. He need not envy the lot of a fruit retailer, who has to reject frequently a third of his bought stock, or sell considerably under cost if possible.: The fruiterer's lot is not a happy one. No one ever heard of a retired fruiterer or a wealthy One, unless he be an Oriental, and they work hard and deserve all ; they make. In conclusion, if either the above writers think the retailers make money out of the growers, let them try the ; job for 12 months, and if "Avondale" does not claim them they must be -of extraordinary mental calibre. • .M. Kember. ■: