THE FRUIT MARKET.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 9547, 30 September 1902, Page 4

THE FRUIT MARKET.

(Per Press Association.)

WELLINGTON, last night The Department, of Industries and Commerce has received v report from Mr Cameron, produce comm;ission»r in London, dated August 22, regarding the market for fruit, pulp and hemp. The report shows that owing to bad weather the English fruit crop has been a comparative failure, a.nd on thp. Continent the prospects of large supplies, are poor. In California, wliich sends large quantities of apricots to London, the fruit this season is unusually small for bottling, and a large proportion of it will be used for pulping. The commissioner is inclined to urge the shipment..of. raspberry and black currant pulp from N-ew Zealand during the nest season. The price for raspberries is about 26s per cwt, and for black currant pulp about 30s, with an advancing market. Every care should be taken in regard to the quality being satisfactory, and no. water, sugar, or preservative of any kind .should be added. Though the shipment of pulp is, to a, cenUiu extent, speculative, the coining seasons offers more favorable opportunity than for some years. The prices of hemp have again become firm, and satisfactory. Owing to expected large supplies of Manila, New Zealand had gone down to £28 10s, but has since risen to £33 to £34, which price is likely to be maintained for some time. Hemp from New Zealand lately has shown much improvement in quality, probably owing to. the system of grading adopted by the Government. For some time there has been less hemp arriving in England from Manila than used to be the case. As Americans' are largely buying direct, this is likely to be an advantage to shipments arriving from this colony.