FRUIT MARKETING

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16202, 27 November 1926, Page 16

FRUIT MARKETING

BOARD AT WRONG END GENIUS IN' LONDON WANTED

The .institution of the Control Board as a solution of the difficulties of Dominion fruitgrowers, i< not favored by Mr. Stewart, of Richmond, Nelson, an orrhardisi, who, upon his return from England by ihe Ar-iwa, stated at Auckland he had made ( lose investigations into English , marketing conditions. He suggested.tho appointment of a London markets manager.

I 'Qj-cliardists here are quite pleased to get a penny per pound for their apples on the trees, yet these apples ere selling in Loudon at 8d to lOd a pound,” said Mr- Stewart. The apples were bought through ngetus at 6s a case and retailed at from 24s to 20s a case. American competition was very strong, ami the Americans had their own cold stores in London. ‘*T visited Canada House in London,’-' added Mr. Stewart, ‘‘and made the suggestion that Canada, Australia, and New Zealand should combine to (‘reel similar stores in London. Later I noticed the announcement that the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Air. Stanley Baldwin, had offered a subsidy of £1,000,000 this year to assist oversea industries. .1 had left England, when Air. (.'mites arrived, but on the day I left f 'wrote lo him, suggesting that lie .’and the' other l>ominiou Prime Ministers should urge that a’portion of'the subsidy be set aside for cold storage. J believe something of this, nature has been done, and consider it is the beginning of a real business partnership between the Old Country and the Dominion. Covent Garden is going to be closed down, and this seems to be a suitable opportunity of looking for a stragetic point.” Air. Stewart considered that, in marketing its fruit, New Zealand had little to learn. “I think the Control Board is at. the wrong end. What is really wanted is a manager in London with a genius for marketing, who could, if it were thought necessary, be aided bv an advisory committee. He should be a highly paid official invested with the responsibility not only of marketing, ■ bur -also of buying tho necessities required by orchardists.”