BOYCOTT ON ORANGES

Southland Times, Issue 22475, 10 November 1934, Page 5

BOYCOTT ON ORANGES

STATEMENT BY GROWERS’ REPRESENTATIVE. (Per United Press Association.) Wellington, November 9. “If I could make known to the public all that is taking place, I feel sure they would appreciate that what is being done is in the best interests of the consuming public as well as of the whole of the trade,including retailers,” said Mr C. N. S. Mueller, New Zealand representative of the Murray Citrus Growers’ Co-op. Association of Australia, Ltd. to-day, in commenting on the boycott of Australian oranges by Wellington fruiterers on the grounds of poorness of quality and excessiveness of price. “The position that has been taken up is that the retailers must have the fruit as it lands and let any surplus from the previous consignment continue to deteriorate,” continued Mr Mueller. “If Mr Hitch and his associates conduct their business in this manner, it is no wonder they talk of their loss, but I cannot countenance such procedure with any growers of fruit. As the fruit arrives from Australia and America in cool storage, it is only exhibiting ignorance to state that our fruit deteriorates because it is held in New Zealand for two weeks in cool stores. The fruit we send to England remains in the cooler for two months and your New Zealand apples are held, here for a month with no deterimental effect. With reference to the small fruit complaint, in Australia small fruit has an enhanced value at times when prices rise, generally at this time of the year. Mj growers were under the impression that they were shipping what was required, than something objectionable. During the season I have consistently made good retailers’ legitimate losses. I have not permitted variations in price and the market has never been without oranges. What; the retailer really wants is difficult to understand. What I do know is that on the present prices marked up in the shop windows, the retailer is getting more in two weeks for a case of oranges than the grower gets in twelve months, but I have no quarrel with that position as I know that the costs of retailing are high.

“With reference to the statement alleged to have been made by the secretary of the retailers at Dunedin that the oranges were very scarce on the Dunedin market, I have his personal assurance that the statement was not made by him, and if anyone wants 1000 cases of oranges at Dunedin I can supply them from stocks; and to a very much larger extent. The same applies in everv port from Dunedin to Auckland, so the alleged shortage is all moonshine.