FRUIT INDUSTRY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24834, 6 February 1942, Page 6

FRUIT INDUSTRY

HIGH PRICE FOR EARLY APPLES EXPLANATION BY MINISTER (F.0.P.R.) WELLINGTON, Feb. 5. “ The Government last year incurred a loss of over £400,000 in saving the fruit industry,” . said the Minister of Marketing, Mr J. G. Barclay, when replying in the House of Representatives today to an urgent question asked by Mr C. L. Carr (Govt., Timaru). Reference was made by Mr Carr to a recent Press Association message from Nelson in which it was stated that there was a rise' in the price of early apples of nearly 200 per cent, between the grower and the retailer, the middleman being the Internal Marketing Department. Mr Barclay said that early apples every year commanded high prices for the very small percentage of the crop which was ready in the first few lyeeks. The Internal Marketing Division placed a limit on the prices without which much higher values would have been paid by the retailers in an endeavour to obtain limited supplies of the early fruit available. When full supplies of apples became available in the very near future the Internal Marketing Division would have to sell at prices much below the average price of 5s 3d a bushel case which was guaranteed to the growers, and the consumers would derive the benefit of splendid fruit at low prices. The statement from Nelson was a gross misrepresentation of the effort being made by the Government to assist the apple and pear growers.