FRUIT MARKETING

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25030, 21 October 1944, Page 8

FRUIT MARKETING

DIVISION'S ACTIVITIES COMPLAINTS AND SUPPdrJ (S.R.) WELLINGTON, Fridiv * Many of the complaints aga lnst a: Internal Marketing Division were'™;? in ignorance of the activities of It Marketing Department, said thn \t . ter of Marketing, '.Mr Roberts ;» ??* House of Representatives todav 9 replying to comments by the OnnncU; n during discussion ol' Estimates. Mr J. T. Watts (Opposition—R; ef , t $M ton) said there was considerable nr ; ' Iceling anion"; fruit retailers over attitude of the division in compel! „! them to bear a o per cent loss on hi fruit. Jle also complained abi.ut short supply of apples in Position Before Control

Mr A. S. Richards (Governmfint Roskill) said that before the ment assumed control the retailer un/ the auction system had to bear all v? losses of bad fruit. The retailers 0 f Auckland said they were now cettin better and sounder fruit through -V repacking methods of the departing! than they had got under the old riiL, Several of the instructions in D tl»' fixation irritated the Iruit retailers IJj Mr V. W. .IMp. (Oi rsi tio„iff ranga). He asked why the department insisted on pricing vegetables in odd farthings when farthings were not in use. Mr D. W. Coleman (GovernmentGisborne) said that Mr Doidge had blamed the department for the eond? tion of grapefruit, but he was seem* ingly unaware that this fruit was not handled by the department and that the trade was entirely in the ha'nd«nf private enterprise. Retailers' Profit Margin The Minister said he. could under, stand the public being confused as to what commodities were under the control of the department. Replying to Mr Waits, he said that retailers had a 10 per cent profit in handling oranges The department only nsked them to bear the loss of the first 5 per cent which still left the shopkeepers a ,15 per cent profit. Before control no allowance was conceded to retailers hj? the trade. Over 1.000.000 more of apples were being consumed bv the public in New Zealand than before the war.

But for the control through the department it was doubtful if a single banana would ever reach the South Island. Mr Roberts claimed. Profit waj the principal concern in private.marketing, and without control probably Auckland would consume all the bananas that came into the country, The question of increased supplies of imported fruits depended largely on shipping and conditions in the exporting countries. Referring to the condition of kumaras landed in Wellington from the north, the Minister said that their perishable nature made handling diffi. cult. Experiments in dehydrating kumaras had not been successful, Mr Anderton's One Complaint "The one complaint that 1 have about the Internal Marketing Division is that it has insufficient powers of control, and 1 believe that we will have to cut out the auctioneering firms." said. Jlr W. T. Anderton (Government—Eden). "This may not be the Government'! view, but it is mine." He urged that the department be given full powers to control fruit and vegetables in all phases of distribution. He also advocated a zoning system for the sale of fruit and vegetables. If a zoning, policy were introduced he predicted that in the Auckland city and suburban areas, for example, costs in the form of individual rents, delivery charges and other overheads could be greatly reduced. "Another Costly Failure" Mr A. S. Sutherland (Opposition— Hauraki); Tell us how you are keeping the price of sugar down ? .Mr Anderton : By subsidy, and we are keeping the local price of butter don by subsidy. Mr Sutherland said the Governing was subsidising the local butter prta out of the . farmers' own money. It should be subsidised from the same source as sugar—from the War Expenses Account. "If I had my way I would cut out the Internal Marketing Division altogether," gaid Mr Sutherland. "It is another costly failure.designed to strangle private enterprise, I favour a system of producers'.co-opera-tives."

I OBITUARY MR T. G. MULLAN (0.C.) HAMILTON, Friday The death has occurred in Auckland of Mr Thomas George Mullan, who for many years was a prominent business man o"f Hamilton. He was originally an engineer in the emplov of the Union Steam Ship Co. After the last war> established the Hamilton engineertiie firm of Mullan, Whyte and Nov, and retained an active interest in it until his health forced him to retire a few years before the outbreak of the present war. He was a keen sportsman and ws well known for his interest in fishing and shooting. He took a prominent part in aviation in its early days in Hamilton. Mr Mullan is survived by his wife, who lives in Auckland. MR W. G. GERRARD (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, Friday The death has occurred of Mr- W. G. Gerrard, aged 80, a sporting writer ,w Canterbury for well over 50 years. Id his earlier years he was a prominent member of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association and an actiye cricketer. He was an early delegate to the Canterbury Rugby Union and lor vears secretarv. Ho was the first treasurer of the New Zealand Hockey Association. Mr Gerrard was deeply interested in trotting as a member ot tne old South Island Trotting Association and later as a member of the board oi» the New Zealand Trotting Association. FARMERS' FEDERATION SUPPORT IN THE WAIKATO (0.C.) HAMILTON. Friday Unanimous support for the formation of a United Farmers' Federation « given at a representative meeting « Waikato fanners at Franktoa tonign*. ■ Similar support was given at a meeting held at Morrinsville this afternwn. *w H. Johnstone, president of the AUik-aio executive of the Farmers' Union, presided. Addresses similar to those « Pukekohe on Wednesday were giyen oy Mr B. V. Cooksley, Dominion chairman of the Fanners' Federation, Mr «• • Horobin, Dominion treasurer or m Farmers' Union, and Mr N. P. Adams, president of the Auckland branch ot tne Shoepowners' Federation. . , Mr Cooksley said the federation «• sired to be in a position to oiler constructive and uniform criticism ,°» statutorv producers' boards, esp e ciauj with respect to their methods of election. PERSONAL ITEMS . Dr T. H. Pettit left by air yesterday for Christchurch. Major-General H. 15. Barrowclougb has returned from Wellington.