EXPORT OF FRUIT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21469, 18 April 1933, Page 5

EXPORT OF FRUIT

SEASON NEARS END SHARP DROP IN TOTAL TOO MANY LARGE SIZES Satisfactory progress is being made in clearing fruit for export at the port of Auckland and tho last shipment of the season will be made toward tho e!id of May. The total export of apples and pears from tho province this season is expected to bo about 125,000 cases, a drop of 55,000 eases on last year's total. " Judged by the quantity of fruit available for export, the season has not been a very successful one and growers' applications for shipping space have nob come up to last year's figures," said Mr. S. M. Conway, Auckland manager of the New Zealand Fruitgrowers' federation, Limited, yesterday. " liains in February swelled much of tho fruit to sizes which arc barred from export. Mouldy core has been fairly prevalent and a good deal of codlin moth has been evident but was not discernible in tho early stages. These factors reduced considerably the quantity of fruit available for export." Restriction of Size Mr. Conway said that this year the Fruit Export Control Board had restricted tho export of Stunners of larger size than tho lL'5 count, or more than 2Jin. in diameter. Although some growers had protested, the decision should provo to be in tho interests of exporters as tho latest overseas market report had indicated that large sizes were not selling well on the British market. This year every effort had been made to increase tho local consumption of fruit, so that the large sizes which were up to export standard in all other respects might bo placed. Prices lor shipments which had already reached the British market had not been very satisfactory, a decline 011 values realised by corresponding shipments last year having been general. • The Fruit Export Control Board has been advised of the decision of the French Government to impose a surtax of 15 per cent in terms of sterling values on imports of Now Zealand apples. This will hamper trade considerably as about cases of apples were exported to Franco last vear and it was expected to build up the total to 50,000 cases this season. Tho problem of marketing the large size apples has given some concern to the board'and shipments have been arranged for South America, although the position with regard to payment has not been finally settled. The Dominion Output It is estimated that the total exports from New Zealand this season will be about 1,400,000 cases, compared with about 1,600,000 cases last season. The forward allotments for the remainder of the season are as follows: Quantity, Destination Shin boxes K nnmea .. 49,000 West, Coast, U.K. lv.ua.mea / 20,000 Montevideo Huntingdon .. 15.000 Santos . I 15,000 Bio fie Janeiro Somerset . . 43,000 Manchester bomersei ( London Mahana . . ( 30.000 Hook of Holland Port Curtis 21,000 Southampton Mataroa. . .. 32,500 Southampton ' " _ " ( 80,000 Londo ;• Ft. F rem an tie ( 37i00 0 West Coapt." U.K. Ota to .. .. 55,000 Montevideo "" *" ( 12,000 Montevideo Mnnia, •• •• ( 16.000 London Ornri .. •• 88,M0 London Pukeha . . . . 54,000 London Taranaki . . 45,750 London The Port Fremantle, the Pakeha nnrl the Taranaki will be the last of the fruit carriers, all being timed to sail finally on May 2:5. IMPORTS INTO BRITAIN VA R J ETIES FR OM EM PI R E Fresh fruit from Empire sources imported into the United Kingdom last year amounted to nearly 10,000,000cwt. and created a new record. The total compared with B,loo,ooocwt. in the previous year and 8,600,000cwt. in 1«)30. A record was also established in imports from Empire countries of the following separate fruits; —Apples, bananas, grape-fruit, grapes, oranges, peaches and plums. Empire imports in 1932 represented 37.7 per cent of aggregate imports of fruit from all sources. This is a larger proportion than ever before, and compares with 28.1 per - cent in the previous year and 33.2 per cent in 1930. . CARRIAGE OF POTATOES SHIP-BOARD INVESTIGATION Investigations into the effect of transport conditions ou Southern potatoes for the Auckland market are expected to be made this season. The New Zealand Grain and Produce Merchants Association has been interesting itself in the quality of the potatoes and it has been found that on certain occasions what appeared to be sound lines of potatoes when shipped at South Island ports, did not reach Auckland in a satisfactory condition. The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research has been asked to conduct the investigations and the co-operation of the i Union Steam Ship Company has been .secured. A survey will 1)0 ninde of tlic j temperatures in the holds of various I vessels) bv means of recording ipstru- ! merits, and sample lots of potatoes from commercial consignments will bo examined both before and after tho voyage to ascertain how these have responded to the influence of the temperatures in the holds. If it is found possible lines of potatoes of known history, crown on diflcrcnt classes of soil, harvested at different stages of maturity, and of different varieties, will bo surveyed. SEARCH FOR OIL OPERATIONS AT KOTUKU An old oil-boring field at Kotuku, 27 miles from Greymouth, is being rebored. The Kotuku area was first bored more than 30 years ago, when a limited amount of oil was obtained. An overseas company carried out tho operations, but no great quantity of oil was tapped. The work ceased during the war period. Tho company which is earrving out the operations at present is controlled by shareholders who work on the field themselves. ,