THE MAUI POMARE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20930, 21 January 1930, Page 10

THE MAUI POMARE.

DIVERTED TO WELLINGTON.

FRUIT CARGO OVER-RIPE. (Peb United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, January 20. Owing to signs of her cargo of bananas becoming over-ripe, the Island steamer Maui Pomare put into Wellington last night instead of proceeding to Lyttelton. The refrigerating machinery is working satisfactorily, but the fruit was on th« «pe side when it was loaded at Apia. The heat was then 98 degrees in the shade and 114 in the 6Un. The vessel is discharging the Wellington portion of the fruit. A visit to the scene of operations shows that the fruit J ? * n B?°<i condition, though some cases show signs of ripening. There .are approximately 3000 cases for Wellington, including the whole of the Niue fruit, about 1000 cases. The rest of the cargo is for the South Island, approximately 4500 cases, all from Apia. At the fruit market where the sale is taking place buyers Bay the cargo is mixed, with a tendency to ripeness. Delivery from the ship was slow, and only a small quantity was sold at to-day's sales. Niue bananas were in better condition than those shipped at Apia, but the condition of the fruit precludes any possibility of its being offered' for sale in Auckland. Prices varied according to condition, but went as low as 5s per case • T s. e M ? ui Pomare ] e ft f or Lyttelton in the afternoon. I" . QUESTION OF .FRUIT SUPPLY. DUNEDIN AS POET OF CALL. A good deal of discussion took place at the meeting of the committee of the Dunedm Chamber of, Commerce last night as to the conveyance of fruit from the Islands to the Dominion by the Maui Pomare. A telegram was received from Mr W. B. Taverner stating that Dunedin would continue to be included as a port of call for the Maui Pomare. The chairman (Mr A. H. Allan) said that after frequent representations to the Government by the chamber and other bodies associated with it, Cabinet had decided that Dunedin was to be retained in the itinerary of the m.v. Maui Pomare. This decision was very gratifying, but the prospect of the vessel remaining in the run was not at alt as reassuring as he would like it to be. This uncertainty arose through the action of the Government in contracting with an Auckland firm for one year for the total output of Samoan bananas. The position as far as' he had been able to gather was that in iOctober last a conference was held in IChristchurch between the representatives 3f>i the South Island Fruit Brokers' Association and Mr S. J. Smith, secretary Bof the Cook Islands Department, and also the Resident Commissioner Sat Niue. when it was agreed that from teach shipment rz. Maui Pomare to the {South Island during the year 1930 twoJthlrds of the total shipment of bananas •[shipped through the Niue Administration nip to 2000 cases were to be sold to the South Island Fruit Brokers' Association ■at a satisfactory price, f.o.b. Niue. In of this purchase a minirmurn allocation of 4500 cases -of Samoan pananas was also to ba shipped on consignment on each trip of the Maui Pomare to the members of the South Island Fruit Brokers' Association. A contract with the Cook Islands Department was entered into by the fruit brokers on the one hand and by the secretary of the Cook Islands Department on the other. Unfortunately, the agreement provided that it was valid only s& as the Cook Islands Department had power to allocate Samoan fruit, or until the Samoan authorities decided that the fruit was not to be further shipped on a consignment basis. No sooner had this arrangement become known , than the allocation of Samoan bananas was removed from Mr Smith's control and ,the new. secretary cancelled the agreement entered into with the South Island Fruit Brokers' Association and called for fresh tenders at a price f.o.b. Samoa. Though the South Island. Fruit Brokers'" Association. had the opportunity of tendering, they declined to do so on the grounds that if the existing contract could be so easily broken it was evidently being so broken in the interests of the Auckland merchants, and that they could not expect to be successful in further efforts to secure the contract. The South Island Fruit Brokers' Association endeavoured unsuccessfully to persuade the Government to give their contract a three months trial ia order that they might demonstrate the South Island's ability to take the bulk of the Samoan bananas each trip and also return to the growers a satisfactory price: In spite of the fact that on two previous trips the returns from the South Island to the growers were 12s 6d and 14s lOd per case net, f.0.b., Samoa, the Government accepted an Auckland firm's tender at a price of lis Od per case, f.0.b., Samoa. This contract was subject to 60 per cent, of the fruit coming to the South Island, but "when our fruit'vendors were prepared to purchase by cqntract direct from the islands, why Bhould they be compelled, with the Government's assistance, to pay a profit to northern interests and increase the price to South Island consumers to that extent? It should be mentioned that prior to theadvent of the motor vessel Mau Pomare, Auckland received supplies of bananas from Fiji in quantities sufficient for its own needs and for the rest of the Dominion. It was quite obvious, therefore, that the objective of the Auckland banana kings in attempting to control the Samoan output was also to secure for themselves a continuity of a lucrative trade which they have enjoyed for far. too long on account of their favoured shipping connections, apart altogether from the Maui Pomare. On the present trip of this vessel only 1050 eases of Samoan' bananas had been allocated to Dunedin, and it was for this reason lhat he had said that the prospect of retaining Dunedin as a port of call was not reassuring. If Auckland interests could upset contracts and restrict consignments when we could take up to four times that quantity per trip, it was quite obvious that in the near future we would be told that to bring the vessel to Dunedin to discharge such small consignments was too costly, and for that reason Dunedin would be eliminated. Ht was a strategical move on the part of a powerful influence, bit it was one which would be' watched miost carefully by the chamber, and every possible means would be adopted to check it. Mr A. C. Cameron, in the courss of lengthy remarks, gave details as to the operations, in Auckland. The Auckland brokers, had had a monopoly. The, position was that one firm in Auckland bad written saying that they were working in the interests of two other Auckland firms, ! and the inference was that three firms had tendered to secure the contract. That was further borne out by the fact that the disposal of the fruit coming forward by the Maui Pomare was being carried out by one firm. The South Island fruitbrokers felt that they were placed in an unfair position. It was not likely that the Government had diverted the vessel, and it looked as if somebody had had sufJ ficient authority to divert the vessel to Wellington. Mr Hogg asked that it be made clear' that the retail price of fruit (bananas! to the public was 14s a case. The chairman said that the offer of the agent at Auckland was 25s per case, which meant 30s in Dunedin, making the retail [jirice 32s 6d. j Mr p. O. Smellie said the state of j .flairs wag extraordinary, and called for ' nvestigation. The chairman remarked that there was . "ring" in Auckland. A suggestion was thrown out that a leputation should proceed to Wellington n the matter. The chairman said that outside the luestion of fruit there was the question >f bringing the vessel to the port. We ranted to brine the vessel here and buy rruit on the wharf. Cominc to the course of action that mould be taken. Mr R. Duncan expressed :he view that the executive should take arhat steps they thought necessary in the Tiatter.

It was finally resolved that the execuconfer with the Fruit Brokers’ Association with the object of taking whatever action seemed desirable.