CASES CHARGED

Southland Times, Issue 25361, 13 August 1935, Page 7

CASES CHARGED

FRUITERERS COMPLAIN STRONG EXCEPTION TAKEN. (Per United Press Association.) Dunedin, August 12. Strong exception to the .fact that in Otago and Canterbury retail fruiterers were compelled to pay for the cases, bags and sacks in whiclx their fruit was received was taken by speakers at the annual meeting of the Otago Retail Fruiterers’ Association to-day. The president (Mr E. Sagar) claimed that the treatment received by the fruiterers in that respect was unfair and his remarks were heartily supported by other speakers, including a number of delegates from Christchurch and Invercargill. Mi- Sagar said that although it was not generally known, Canterbury and Otago were the only places in the world where fruit containers (cases) were charged and •steps must be taken to modify that imposition. The universal feeling was that the case was a necessary part of the growers’ expense in exactly the same manner as paper bags and containers were a necessary part of the retailers’ expenses, hence both bear their own costs. “In Dunedin,” he said, “a charge of 4d and 6d is made on every case, according to size, and this amount is remitted to the growers. A large proportion of the small cases which corne from Canterbury cost the growers in that district only twopence each, hence Dunedin retailers are not only providing free cases, but free pocket money as well. It is obviously unfair that the Central Otago growers who send theii’ fruit hundi'eds of miles to the North Island and are content to receive nothing fox- their cases should expect 4d and 6d for containers when the fruit is sold as close as Dunedin. Again the small 121 b boxes of tomatoes are always sold in Christchurch box free, yet if the same box is railed to and sold in Dunedin the retailers here pay the additional fourpence over and above the price of the fruit. The Otago growers send their apples thousands of miles with attendant risk to London and receive nothing for the cases, yet extract sixpence from their fellow countrymen in Dunedin.” After a lengthy discussion delegates from the Christchurch, and Invercargill fruiterers’ Associations were invited to address the meeting, among those .who spoke being Mi’ L. Daniels (president of the Christchurch Association). Mr C, Capes (secretary of the Christchurch Association), M. W. Masson,’ Mr B. Thompson and Mr J. Adam (Christchurch), and Mr Lincoln (Invercargill). The meeting closed giving the committee unanimous support in any action it might decide upon. It was decided that steps should be taken to form a South Island Retail Fruiterers’ Association.