To Retain Protection

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 687, 12 June 1929, Page 8

To Retain Protection

Duties on Citrus Fruits

GROWERS of citrus fruits in tlie Auckland Province have been closely in touch with the Customs authorities in Wellington lately urging the retention, and if possible an extension, of the seasonal duties on imported lemons. In order to enable this growing industry to become completely established, the growers ask for a continuous operation of the tariff which now is active for only seven months of the year.

Production records over tlie past few years illustrate tlie growing importance to tlie Auckland Province, and incidentally to the whole Dominion, of the citrus-fruit industry. For about 25 years something like 7,000 or 10,000 trees have been planted annually in the northern districts, and the market for lemons has expanded sympathetically with the steady increase in population. Essentially a primary industry, lemon-growing has enjoyed some measure of attention from the State, and a duty upon imported lemons, operating during seven months of the year, has encouraged the use bf the home-grown fruit, though efforts have been made to make the duty continuous and thus block almost altogether the importation of the foreign product. Negotiations toward this end, with the object at least of retaining the present duties, were made a week or so ago by representatives of the growers, who met the Customs authorities at Wellington and gave evidence to prove that assistance to the industry was justified and in the interest, not only of the orchardist himself, but of the whole country, because of certain secondary industries which might be developed from the use of the surplus fruit.

As arranged in the 1927 tariff adjustment, the duty upon imported lemons is 2d a lb, with a preferential duty of Id a ib throughout the British Empire. This embargo operates only from May to November in each year, however, and virtually gives the foreign product an "open season” of five months in which to encroach upon the New Zealand market.

Certainly the assessment of the duty is so arranged that New Zealand growers benefit when the demand is greatest, but the continuous imposition r.L’ the tariff against outside fruit is considered by the orchardists to be essential if present progress is to continue.

Accurate statistics of citrus-fruit production are extremely difficult to obtain. Auckland is so suitable for

the casual growing of lemons that practically half of the output of the province is grown on scattered trees in residential backyards. It is known that the two “pools”—Auckland and Tauranga—handle something near 30,000 cases, and that large quantities are grown in the Gisborne district, reaching possibly a total of 50,000 cases annually. A man closely associated with the industry estimates that probably as many again are grown in backyards and private gardens in and around Auckland. “We probably grow anything up to 100,000 cases,” he remarked, “because half the people of Auckland grow their own.” It is unlikely that any change will be made in the duty during the current year—a circumstance for which the growers are commensurately grateful. Two other departments of citrusfruit growing are of particular moment to Auckland; the sweet oranges, of which there are comparatively little grown as yet, and the “poorman” orange, for which there is a promising future, provided always that the overseas grape-fruit rivals can .be driven from th,e field of competition.

New Zealand - grown poorman oranges can be placed on the local market, so an expert grower asserts, at 2s 6d a dozen, while the imported grape-fruit cannot be retailed at less than 6s a dozen, and sometimes more.

“If the people are brought to realise that our poorman oranges were equally good with the imported grapefruit, and contained just as much juice.” the grower said, “they will banish their prejudice against our own stuff and always buy locally.” It is estimated that about 10,000 lemon trees will be planted this year. Given generous consideration by the State, the growers are confident that the steady increase in acreage now under cultivation will shortly lead to the complete establishment of the citrus-fruit industry upon a basis of commercial self-reliance, and bring it into its appointed place in the Dominion’s leading enterprise.