DUNEDIN BOYCOTTED.

Otago Witness, Issue 2856, 9 December 1908, Page 27

DUNEDIN BOYCOTTED.

SUVA, December 3.

The banana shippers are boycotting Dunedin owing to the brokers not notifying" the fact that their commission had been increased.

On. making inquiries we were informed that ovriijg w increased «xp«rxclit*ix-e *1m» fruit-brokers were compelled to make an advance on the rates formerly prevailing. Not only^hae the cost of . living increased to a mataijal extent, but each agent here now finds it necessary to have a man almostf constantly at -the : wharf in attendance on the inspectors. Whole shipments have to be handled for purposes of inspection. In* many cases th© consignments are handled! case by case; and very often the greater., proportion of the contents of each case is turned, for examination, such operations taking up a groat deal of time. This obviously meant that -the agent's expenses were considerably increased. The increase merely brings' the commission up to the old rate which prevailed about five years' ago, and which was reduced on account oi, keen competition. The new rate means an increase of about 3d on each case. The ( local agents contend that the Fijian shippers have "\ery little cause for complaintso far as the Dunedin market is corcerned, as the quotations here are "invar. ■* ably fully 15 or 20 per cent, higher thaw those ruling at Auckland or Wellington. - < Speaking to a Times reporter on the 4tb' relative to the cabled information that the banana shippers of Suva were boycotting Dunedin owing to the brokers not notifying the fact that their commission had been increased, Mr C. T. Paterson (president of the- Dunedin Fruitbrokers' Association) stated on the- 4th- that it was unknown whether the reported boycott was temporarj or permanent. It could be saic, however, that at the present time an er.-, deavour was being made to make arrangements for a constant supply of Ton^an, and Rarotongan bananae. While the market will not be so well supplied as if this boycott had not taken place, still the interruption if; not regarded as likely t<* prove a disturbing factor. During the Christmas period, for instance, the demand is principally for email fruits, bananas no* being sought after to any great exten...' Affair quantity of Tongan bananas, aboutrJ 1000 ca.e*ss, is expected to arrive here on Thursday next, while a Rarotongan «hip»' ment should be here in time for the Christ* mas market. Th© intervening boat running between Rarotonga and- Wellington will aLso assist in tiding over any inconvenience that' may be- occasioned. The Suva shipment-* will therefore not be missed very muo.\ after all. It is also possible, of course, for the Dunedin brokers to secure the Suvstf fruit, if required, indirectly, as, for instance, from the other centres in th«C Dominion. As to the increase in the ratei of commission, Dunedin is the first centre to make a practical move, although it wa*< admitted at th© conference recently held/ in Wellington that the old rate of commission was not efficient. The Auckland! brokers, for instance, are all charging 10 per cent, commission on the Cook Islander and Tongan consignments, but have not? yet altered their charges on Suva consignments. In any case, the alteration mad< by th© local brokers ie simply a reversion to what was in existence five years ago. The brokers have to pay for labels, advice' notes, stencil plates, collect and return empty crates at their own cost, and also accept the responsibility for them, and even th« increased commission, with other factors taken into consideration, '<fcez sot allon* them much margin of profit.

Some information as to the conveyance of news into gaols came out in «. oolice case at Auckland. A witness who had just been, released after serving a two and a-half years' sentence said that sometimes a warder would get a newspaper ro read, and when hid back was turned a prisoner would go into the room, read the papor, and then convey ihc new a to the rest oj the priooneia.