COOK ISLAND TOMATOES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3860, 6 March 1928, Page 36

COOK ISLAND TOMATOES.

QUESTION OF IMPORTATION. WELLINGTON, February 27. Sir Maui Pomaie (Minister in Charge of the Cook Islands) said his attention had been drawn to the report of a meeting of the Christchurch Tomato and Stone Fruit Growers’ Association last week, at which a copy of a letter he had written to the Auckland Provincial Fruitgrowers’ Council on the subject of the importation of Cook Islands tomatoes was under consideration. Sir Maui Pomare pointed out that the published report of the meeting indicated that he had declined to entertain a request that the importation of these Rarotongan tomatoes should be prohibited during the months of November and December, merely on the ground that the Cook Islands were an integral part of New Zealand, and that it was no more reasonable to suggest that this fruit should be stopped than that produce should not be allowed to go from the North Island to the South Island. He stated that while'this was the real principle involved, nevertheless there was a practical side to the issue which was of great concern to the public of the Dominion. The portion of his letter to the secretary of the Auckland Provincial Fruitgrowers’ Council which had not been published was as follows:— Ap. art from any question of principle, I think I should point out J hat during the months of November and December, 1926 (the latest available official figures) there were imported into the Dominion from the Cook Islands 204,7941 b and 346,1081 b of tomatoes respectively, or a total for the two months of 550,9021 b. These were valued at Rarotonga for export purposes at 3.6 d per lb. During the months of November and December, 1921, the quantities of locally-grown tomatoes placed on the markets were 225,6281 b and 833,8041 b respectively, or a total of 1,059,4221 b. The average retail price of this fruit was Is 4Ad per lb. It will thus be seen that the Cook Islands supplied the local market with approximately one-third of the total quantity of tomatoes available to the public during these months. The effect, therefore, of the adoption of your proposal ■would be to deprive the people of the Dominion of one of their principal sources of supply of this highly valuable food fruit.

Sir Maui concluded by saying that he thought the public of the Dominion was entitled to know exactly how it would be affected by the proposal of the Dominion tomato growers to shut out the Rarotongan tomatoes.