FRUIT MARKETING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23178, 26 October 1938, Page 16

FRUIT MARKETING

CHRISTCHUBCH POSITION ll ■ / PUBLISHED STATEMENT t - REPUDIATION AND SUPPORT [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] CHRIBTCHTJRCH, Tuesday A statement telegraphed as a Press Association message purporting to be the expressed opinions of Mr. W. J. Masson on the marketing of banana* was not in fact made by Mr. Masson. The interview was repudiated to-day by Mr. Masson, who sent the following telegram to Mr. F. R. Picot, Director of Internal Marketing:— " I entirely repudiate the interview attributed to me and am asking newspapers to publish a disclaimer. I have never communicated with newspapers, directly or indirectly. I have i always appreciated your efforts and the Government ' scheme." The statement referred to was supplied by Mr. C. H. Capes, secretary of the Canterbury Fruit Buyers' Association, of the executive of which body Mr. Masson is a member. Mr. Capes informed a newspaper representative to whom he supplied the statement that his executive had given general authority to him to supply statements to the press and that it was customary for him to give statements in this way, using the name of a member of the executive. The reporter was under tho impression that Mr. Masson was aware of the interview and that he had approved it. The opinions were, as Mr. Masson has made clear, not his personal views and for this reason he has-' taken exception to the use of his name. ; Approval of the complaint against! the Government scheme for the mar-< keting of bananas contained in the j statement supplied by ' the secretary, i Mr. C. H. Capes, was expressed at a i special meeting of the executive of the ; Canterbury Fruit Buyers' Association i this evening. Of the nine members of | the executive, exclusive of Mr. Masson, ; seven were present at the meeting this , evening and they were unanimous in their decision to sign a statement. The two absent members concurred in this decision by telephone. The statement sets out the executive's general approval of the complaint made in the statement supplied by Mr. Capes yesterday and details the procedure of the association in the publication of such statements.