FRUIT MARKETING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25394, 27 November 1943, Page 4

FRUIT MARKETING

TWO ADVISERS RESIGN PROTEST AT GOVERNMENT’S ACTIONS (P.A.) AUCKLAND, Nov. 26. As a protest against the lecent decision of the Government not to pay pip fruit growers a price equivalent to the costs of production, Mr A. B. Congdon, Auckland director of the New Zealand Fruitgrowers’ Federation, and Mr'T. C. Brash, president of the federation, have tendered their resignations as members of the National Fruit Advisory Committee to the Minister of Marketing, Mr B. Roberts. This committee was established by the Government early in the war to act in an advisory capacity in the marketing of pip fruits. Announcing the resignations, Mr Congdon said that he and Mr Brash had taken strong exception to the refusal of the Government to pay an economic price to the growers and its action in withholding from the industry the decision of the special committee which was set up on the authority of the former Minister of Marketing. Mr J. G. Barclay, in response to representations from the growers for an increased price for their fruit. M Congdon said that a meeting of the Auckland committee of the federation. representing all the fruitgrowing districts of the Auckland province, was held when the action of the directors in endeavouring to secure a price to cover the bare costs of production was endorsed. It was stated that on the basis of 6s 7|d a bushel case, for which the industry was asking, the net return for growing fruit, after taking case and packing charges-into account, was only 3s 7£d a bushel, or approximately Id a lb. The increase sought by the growers was a case, or one-fifth of a penny a lb. A resolution was also carried that, unless the Government would face up to the position and give the growers some definite assurance that in future seasons their costs of production would be met, the Auckland growers would cease to produce.