NEW ZEALAND APPLES

Otago Witness, Issue 3611, 29 May 1923, Page 9

NEW ZEALAND APPLES

FAILURE OF R EMU ERA SHIPMENT. EXCELLENT FRUIT BUT OVERHEATED. MR T. W. ATTWOOD’S STATEMENT. (From Our own uorbesi-ondekt.) LONDON, April 13. All those interested in the marketing of New Zealand apples in England will feel nothing but keen disappointment concerning the Remuera shipment, of 13,200 cases which came into London this week. The present state of what must have been magnificent fruit only shows what may happen at any time when the treatment of apples from the time they leave the tree until they arrived in London is anything less than perfect. Experts say in a word they have been “cooked.” Who is responsible for “cooking” them has yet to be discovered. I have sought Mr T. W. Attwood’s opinion, but until he has seen the engineer’s record of temperature ho is unable to say at what stage the damage was done. “There is every evidence,” ho said, “that the fruit at the other end was put up in the host possible condition. The boxes, the packing, and the growing leave nothing to be desired. Unfortunately, the shipment has been practically ‘cooked.’ Many of the boxes, after travelling up to the London market and waiting there a little while until opened, have been found to be quite hot in the middle of the cases. The fruit in these cases, in some instances, is absolutely rotten. In other instances it is just so far ‘cooked’ and over-ripe that it was impossible to realise anything like satisfactory prices, “One man bought 50 cases one day this week and returned 20 of them the following day. This is an indication of the condition of the shipment. The fruit that has come through in anything like condition is so far over-ripe on account of the heat in the chambers that it will not be possible for it to retain condition for more than three or four days. After that time it will be depreciated very considerably. Hardly a box opened in the whole shipment is not a long way past its best. Cox’s are as good as any. The varying conditions depend, course, on the position of the cases in the chamber. Necessarily cases in the centre of a block would suffer more than those on tho outside and the bottom of the chamber. Cases which have been in an air' stream have not suffered so badly. “The reason for the damage we are at a loss to understand until we get the surveyor’s renorfc, which will give us some indication of what has happened. One thing is clearly evident; the temperature of the fruit has never been reduced to anything like the degree we wish the fruit to be carried. Whatever may have been the record of the air in the chamber the actual condition of the fruit shows that in the middle of Ihe cases the temperature may have been 20 degrees higher than it should have been. If, for instance, the chamber temperature had been correct throughout and tho apples had been put in at the orchard temperature (75deg), they would never have reached 34 degrees until the steamers had got into the tropics. GROWERS AND PACKERS BLAMELESS. “One thing should be emphasised,” added Mr Attwood. “So far as can be ascertained both the growers and the packers have done everything that was necessary. Any shq-

nii-nt from America or Australia could not have compared with the New Zealand app.is if the latter hail been carried satisfactorily. They are apparently without bruise or blemish other than that received from rh - - beat, and they might ha\e returned 26s to 30s a case. As it is, they are being sold from 5s to £l, and a great proportion of the fruit may be returned and be sent to the destructor.” The reputation of New Zealand apples tor the season depends largely on the first shipment. 'lhe present, failure is therefore unfortunate. Brokers and buyers, however, are quite aware that the damage has been caused bv bad carriage. The Whangaratta arrives to-morrow with 14.492 cases, and it is to be hoped that all will be well with these. If the quality is as good as that of the apples on the Remuera, and all has gone well with them on the voyage, some really fine prices should be. obtained.