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Otago Daily Times, Issue 19465, 28 April 1925, Page 2

THE HARBOUR BOARD AND THE PRODUCERS. TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—As a producer and shipper permit mc to mention the want of consideration that has been extended to one class of producer by the Olago Harbour Board. There can be no doubt but that there are many in the community who realise that the production of any article in its initial stages creates an almost endless amount of labour and expenditure upon the individual and hiß staff. To my wind there is no greater gamble in this life than the experience of the man upon the land. Everything that- is likely to cauße trouble and financial loss is surely his without the asking. If it be not a peat of some nature, then it IB sure to be the elements in some form or other, and after all the worrieß of the unexpected troubles —those of a financial order are always with him—there is the ever-burning question of markets. Permit me on behalf of tho fruitgrowers of Otago to direct attention to what 1 claim is want of interest on the part of the members of our Harbour Board. For some years I have persistently asked that there should be suitable storage accommodation at the railhead and wharves at JJunedin and Port Chalmers, to facilitate the export of apples from Otago, but lack of interest by the members in anything which pertains to assist the fruitgrowers has ever been apparent. One is apt to tire of reading the remarks of some of our Dunedin "heads" on the flourishing orchards and farms of Central Otago, when we, as orchardists, know that the port officials are doing nothing to help us to dispose of our produce on the export markets of the world. My letters in the Harbour Board secretary's office have received no consideration wnatever from the Merchants' Shipping Association or the Citizens' League, or from many members of the board. Credit must, however, be given to those members who have realised that only proper port facilities as are provided in other ports of New Zealand are requnired on Otago Harbour, and to Messrs John M'Donald and Keith S. Ramsay tho fruitgrowers of Central Otago will be ever grateful for their efforts to try and have railway sidings to the Victoria wharf and cool stores at Port Chalmers erected, and thus help the shippers to have their fruit landed od the English and foreign markets on an equal footing with other districts in N-evv Zealand. It; is to be hoped that the ratepayers will recognise that those gertlemen have tried, and are trying, to do something to help the producers, realising, as they do-, that every ton of produce shipped out of Otago means so much to Dunedin residents. The steamer Tainui is loading fruit for London at Port Chalmers on Monday morning. It was expected that she would load on Wednesday last, and to meet this necessitated my having IKOO cases of fruit loaded into the trucks at Miller's Flat and the Beaumont between the 17th inst. and the morning of the 20th to catch the train that day. At 10 a.m. on the 20th inst. the shipping company advised of the delay of arrival of the steamer, —that, of course, being always on the cards. The fruit was by this time .in the trucks and is still there, and likely to bo until Tuesday next. There are no sheds to place it in, r.o cooling chambers to reduce the temperature of the fruit 'before loading, and at present the temperature of the fruit is steadily rising. Thousands cf cases of other shippers' fruit are in the same position. Beyond the growers themselves, few people possibly appreciate what floor space is required to stack 2000 cases for inspection by the Government grader and still keep on packing fruit for the next shipment. The growers have no accommodation to stock these thousands of cases at their orchards, and furthermore, once the fruit is packed for export, it should go immediately into a cooling chamber; that is, if the members of the Harbour Board and incidentally the citizens if Dunedin desire to see Otago apples retain the premier position they at present hold on the English and other markets. If the citizens of Dunedin do want to help the prosperity of Central Otago and its exports, then I suggest that the Otago Harbour Board requires men of the M'Douald and Ramsay stamp.—men who will listen to reason, men of foresight who will endeavour to have erected permanent structures that go to the building of a country and its trade.— I am, etc., Fred. G-eo. Duncan. Dunedin, April 24.