FRUIT FROM NELSON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20528, 1 April 1930, Page 3

FRUIT FROM NELSON.

SHIPMENTS TO ENGLAND.

VISIT BY MINISTER.

Recently the overseas liner Otaki arrived at Nelson to load apples. She has been allotted 55,000 cases, but as her cargo will be for the North of lingland and Scotland, where largo ripple:; are more in demand than in the south, it may bo difficult to supply the full quantity in the sizes asked for. No difficulty would have been experienced if all sizes could have been _ accepted for the Otaki. In addition to the fruit for tho direct steamer growers are, of course, packing for other markets — South of England, the Continent, South America and Canada, all of which has to go to Wellington. A special appea) has been made to exporters to fill the space on the Otaki by concentrating on fruit that can bo shipped by that steamer. Tho Hon. G. W. Forbes, - Minister of Agriculture, paid his first visit to the Nelson applelandsi and was much impressed at the extent of tho fruit industry. Growers brought various, matters bofore him, including control, but making it clear that they were not against a control board, t>ut, wished tho present board improved, while some speakers were opposed to compulsory control. It was stated that growers who had exported outside of the control board had realised better prices than thoso under control. A petition was presented to the Minister, tho signatories representing 196,000 cases of export fruit, asking that an inquiry be held into the marketing of export =>.pples. The hold-up in Wellington lust season, it was stated, had resulted in a loss of £50,000 to Nelson exporters. Mr. Forbes said lio would go into the matter of an inquiry. A meeting of pear growers was held at Lower Moulere, at which all the peargrowing districts of tho province were represented. Reference was mado to the utter lack of organisation among tho pear growers. Figures were submitted to the meeting showing (hat the Dominion's pear production was over 400,000 bushels, of which only 56,000 were exported and 62,000 cool stored. Thus about 300,(300 cases were left, which caused a glut on tho local markets. It was urged that ncal requirements should be ascertained ;ud tho surplus exported, a suggestion being mado that tho guarantee on pears should bo independent of tho guarantee on apples Tho meeting unanimously decided to proceed with fho formation of an organisation to bo known as tho Nelson Pear Growers' Association, tho provisional committco consisting of Messrs. W. Pawling and J Scott (Kiwaka), H. Chisnall and J. Stewart (Stoko and Waimea), C. H. Mackay (Lower Moutere), A. E. Jackson and A. McKeo (Tasman and Hills district).