THE WILY CHINEE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3854, 24 January 1928, Page 63

THE WILY CHINEE.

FINED FOR UNFAIR TRADING.

WELLINGTON, January 20.

“ A good deal of dishonest and’ fraudulent packing of vegetables is being carried on by the Chinese market gardeners who send their produce to the Wellington markets,” said Mr A. Dicker (inspector jt orchards) in the Magistrate’s Court today when Young ■ Bin Fong (Manakau; was charged with failing to pack potatoes for sale by auction in such a manner as to expose potatoes of a fair representative size, maturity, and condition. “ This happens to Such an extent,” proceeded- Mr Dicker, “ that last year the New Zealand Government found it necessaary to bring into force regulations to protect the interests of purchasers and to deal with the offenders. While there are Chinese on the Wellington' market noted for their fair packing, there are many cunning ones whose aim apparently is to deceive the purchaser and to get big prices for their produce irrespective of size, quality, and condition. They wilfully top off their sacks of vegetables with fine large specimens of good quality. Underneath these are small, immature, miserable specimens of inferior -quality, which are practically unsaleable and >re of no value. The produce is sold by auction on samples exposed to view when the container is opened up in a normal manner. This means that the Chinese get from 10s to 30s far a sack of vegetables which, had they not been dishonestly topped off, would not be worth a quarter of the price—in fact. l hey would be hard to sell at all. The result is that the retailer or the hawker is up acainst it the whole time, and has co bear the loss as he has not the slightest chance of selling such produce at a profit. Frequently he is forced to discard thern altogether rather than risk losing his cuttomers. Consequently,” he added, “ the Chinese market gardener has in the past by these dishonest methods been feathering his nest at the expense of the retailer and the consumer.”

The defendant’s solicitor said that tile potatoes had been packed by Maoris, and that the defendant did not know that thev had not been fairly packed. Fong was,' fined £5, a fortnight being allowed in which to pay.