MARKETING OF FRUIT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23953, 31 October 1939, Page 8

MARKETING OF FRUIT

THE DOMINION’S PRODUCTION

GOVERNMENT ASKED TO ' ' TAKE' OVER' ' , : ■> y ' ' • (Per United Press Association) NEIIsON, Oct. 30. A request by the Zealand Fruit, growers’ Federation and the New Zealand Fruit Export Cobtrol Board for the Government to ! take over the marketing of the frujit production of the Dominion was unanimously supported by a large njeeting of fruitgrowers of the Nelson province at Mapua Hall. An offer) by the Minister of Marketing (Mr Ndsh) to purchase one million cases of ] export fruit at 6s 9d per case, f.o.bi that money to be pooled with the returns from local sales, was unanimously rejected by the meeting. 1 There were about 170 growers present. presided over fcry Mr J. Dicker. The latest negotiations between the representatives of the; industry and the Government, and thje details of the Minister’s offer to purchase one million cases were outlined in correspondence from the federation and the Control Board headquarters. ■ 1 V/' CONTROL OF | PIP FRUIT - i ; MINISTER’S PROPOSAL REJECTED < CANTERBURY GROWERS’ VIEWS (Per United Paifes Association; CHRISTCHURCH. Oct. 30. The rejection of the proposal of the Minister of Marketing (Mr Nash) for the control of pip iruit in the coming season was unaniniously approved by more than 70 Canterbury fruitgrowers in the city to-day. The meeting, which discussed the future of pip fruit growing and the Government's policy towards it for about two hour's and a-half, finally carried unanimously the following resolution:—” That this meeting rejects the Minister’s proposals and asks that the Government purchase and export from (1,000,000 to 1,500,000 cases of fruit at a price based on a sliding scale with: the minimum price of 7s 6d a case to the grower at the assembly point ,(or- its equivalent f.0.b.), and that the local market be left free.’’ I the meeting hap before it advice of Mr Nash’s proposal that the Government should buy 1,000,000 cases of fruit at 6s 9d f.o.b„ with the right to sell in the Dominion any quantity it could not export, and that marketing in New Zealand should /be controlled hy a board on which .would be two representatives of the {Fruitgrowers’ Federation. j The main points of criticism of Mr Nash’s plan, which was freely and vigorously expressed, were that the price was too j low for Canterbury (which probably would do little exporting), that the grower had to carry the risks of deterioration until the fruit was safely/ in an overseas vessel, and that as a Canterbury meeting had previously decided there was a strong opinion that there should be no State control of localj marketing of apples.