HIGHER PRICES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25303, 13 August 1943, Page 6

HIGHER PRICES

APPLE GROWERS’ DEMAND DEPUTATION DISAPPOINTED (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Aug. 12. “ That the directors of the New Zealand Fruitgrowers’ Federation be instructed that no agreement be made with the Government for a price lower than 6s 7Jd a case for apples;” and ’’ that if an agreement cannot' be reached in the negotiations with the Government, the directors be instructed to take all the necessary steps to obtain the full backing of public opinion in the fight for a reasonable price ” were two motions carried at the annual conference of the federation today. The price asked for is 7Jd more than was paid for last season’s crop. Late this afternoon the directors interviewed the Minister of Marketing, Mr J. G. Barclay, the chairman of the Stabilisation Commission, Mr B. C. Ashwin, and Mr F. P. Walsh, a member of the commission. The president of the federation, Mr T. C. Brash, told the conference later that the meeting had been disappointing from rpany points of view and they had not got* anywhere. It was decided that a statement of the case for an increase in price be prepared for publication. Private sales of fruit were also discussed by the federation. Mr M. Goldsbury (Canterbury) urged that the limit of two cases should be abolished. A private market was the most economic way of trading. Moreover, many of the small traders depended on the consumer trade for a livelihood. The conference, however, endorsed the regulation imposing a limit.