FRUIT GROWERS’ PROTEST

Southland Times, Issue 24497, 26 July 1941, Page 8

FRUIT GROWERS’ PROTEST

OPPOSITION TO NEW REGULATIONS ABANDONMENT URGED (P.A.) DUNEDIN, July 25. “That this meeting of stone fruit growers representing growers from the Alexandra, Roxburgh, Ettrick and Millers Flat districts, protests against the New Zealand-Grown Fruit Regulations 1940 as being impracticable and unreasonable and urges their abandonment.” This resolution was passed at a meeting of growers of stone fruit held at Roxburgh. It was also decided to forward a petition to the Minister of Agriculture. Never before, it was considered, had any measure connected with the fruit industry aroused so much interest or encountered so much opposition as the new regulations, which come into force on November 1. The opposition expressed at the meeting clearly showed that the growers of Otago are not prepared to accept, even in normal times, any compulsory regulations covering stone fruit, and the action of the Director of the Horticultural Division (Mr W. K. Dallas) in attempting to introduce them during the war period when labour problems are becoming more serious was severely criticized. After introducing Mr Dallas the chairman (Mr J. George) said the regulations had been Gazetted without reference to the industry and aroused a storm of indignation among the growers of stone fruit throughout the Dominion. Mr Dallas explained that he desired to help the industry by raising the standard of its pack. Complaints had been made by the trade that there was no uniform system of grading and packing. By agreement with the Minister it had been decided to defer compulsory observance of the regulations until after the war. He was prepared to meet the growers on the points they considered should be amended. All the speakers emphasized that the perishable nature of stone fruit would not admit of any conditions which tended to slow up its despatch from the packing sheds. Extra labour would be required, which meant added costs, and inspection charge would have to be met by the industry. BETTER CONDITIONS WANTED RAROTONGAN GROWERS (Special) WELLINGTON, July 25. A complaint that the Ministers for the Cook Islands and the Internal Marketing Division have not yet fulfilled their promises of better conditions for the fruit growers of Rarotonga was made in a petition presented to the House of Representatives today by the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. W. E. Parry) on behalf of Puta Rangatira, a member of the Island Council of Rarotonga, at present living in Auckland. The petitioner stated that he had the full authority of the Rarotongan Island Council and the Rarotongan Fruit Advisory Committee to bring the petition before the House. Growers were now worse off than they were before 1936, when they petitioned the New Zealand Parliament to help them with their industry. The petition stated that the action of the Minister of Marketing in taking over the island’s special citrus fruits without consulting the growers about prices, production costs and other matters had caused irritation and non-co-operation on the part of the growers. The petition asked for increased prices for bananas, oranges and other Island products, facilities for loans to growers for a banana replanting scheme, a direction from the Government that all special citrus fruits from the Island be sold on the open market in New Zealand on a consignment basis instead of the “very low f.o.b. prices now being paid by the Internal Marketing Division,” that all special citrus fruits exported from April be treated as consignment fruits, and that account sales showing the full market values less the usual charges be rendered to shippers. The petition stated that banana shipments had fallen from 4000 to 800 cases a month. After August of this year 5000 people of Rarotonga would have to depend for a living on returns from this volume of produce, the value being 4/'a case. The islands could produce 12,000 cases of bananas a month if profitable prices were paid to the growers.