COOK ISLANDS

Southland Times, Issue 23152, 19 March 1937, Page 6

COOK ISLANDS

REGULATIONS FOR FRUIT CONTROL (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, March 18. The Cook Islands fruit control regulations issued tonight, empower the Minister for the Cook Islands (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) to assume, from time to time, control of the whole, or any portion, of the fruit produced in the Cook Islands and intended for export. The Minister may delegate his powers to the Secretary for the Islands or to the Resident Commissioner. No person may, unless the Minister is a party, or without his consent, enter into any contract for the export, or carriage or sale of fruit from the islands. An advisory committee has been established to advise the Resident Commissioner about the carrying out of the regulations. The membership of the committee is as set out in the regulations.

The Minister may, from time to time, allocate the maximum quantities . of different species of fruit that any planter, district or island shall be permitted to supply for export in any particular shipment or season. He may also fix the minimum price of fruit, and ways in which he can' assist growers are provided. Provision for the application of moneys received by the Minister is set out in several clauses, and the Minister is empowered to make a levy, not exceeding one shilling a case for citrus fruit and bananas, and sixpence a box for tomatoes, for the purposes of the regulations, and he may withhold from distribution moneys received, in order to establish a reserve fund, but this must not exceed 2d a case or box of fruit. Penalties are provided for breaches of the regulations.