THE WILY CHINEE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20312, 21 January 1928, Page 13

THE WILY CHINEE.

BEST POTATOES ON TOP. FINED FOR UNFAIR TRADING. (Special to Daily Times.) WELLINGTON, January 20. “ A good deal of dishonest and fraudulent packing of vegetables is being carried on by the Chinese market gardeners who send their produce to the Wellington markets,” said Mr A. Dicker (inspector oi orchards; in the Magistrate’s Court today when Young Hin hong (Manakau; was charged with failing to pack potatoes for sale by auction in such a manner as to expose potatoes of a fair representative size, maturity, and condition.^ “ This happens to such an extent, proceeded Mr Dicker, “that last year the New Zealand Government found it necessaary to bring into force regulations to protect the interests of purchasers and to deal with the offenders. While there are Chinese op the Wellington market noted for their fair packing, there are many cunning ones whose aim apparently is to deceive the purchaser and to get big prices for their produce irrespective of size, quality, and condition. They wilfully top off their sacks of vegetables with fine large specimens of good quality. Underneath these are small, immature, miserable specimens of inferior quality, which are practically unsaleable and ire of no value. The produce is sold by auction on samples exposed to view when the container is opened up in a normal manner. This means that the Chinese get from 10s to 30s far a sack of vegetables which, had they not been dishonestly topped off, would not be wcu'th a quarter of the price—in fact, they would be hard to sell at all. The result is that the retailer or the hawker is up against it the whole time, and has oo bear the loss as he has not the slightest chance of selling such at a profit Frequently he is forced to discard them altogether rather than risk losing his customers. Consequently,” he added, “ the Chinese market gardener has in the past by these dishonest methods been feathering his nest at the expense of the retailer and the consumer.” The defendant’s solicitor said that the potatoes had been packed by Maoris, and that the defendant did not know that they had not been fairly packed. ' Fong was fined' £5, a fortnight being allowed in which to pay.