THE FRUIT INDUSTRY.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VI, Issue 1624, 29 April 1919, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE FRUIT INDUSTRY.

SUGGESTIONS FROM HAWKE'S BAY. F"i> t U'Vij l ' .». HASTINGS, April 28. Before Ihe Parliamentary Industries Committee to-day, Mr H. G. Apsey advocated the increase of Government loans to cool storage companies from 0000 to £15,000, owing to the enormous increase in orchard acreage, and the consequent increased fruit production needing cool storage. Mr Thomas Horton, representing the nursery industry, said the nurserymen in Hawke's Bay paid wages totalling £12,000 per year. The nurserymen were handicapped by the Government offering shelter and fruit trees at a price that would not pav for production. State-grown trees should not be supplied to wealthy settlers for beautifying their homesteads. Referring to imported trees, he said the Fruitgrowers' Federation had asked the nurserymen not to increase the price of trees if prohibition of the Australian trees were carried into effect, and the nurserymen had agreed, usually, not to increase the price for five years. The difficulty was that the cost of production had gone up and they could not raise the price. The chairman said that the Commission rould not help the nurserymen in the matter of their agreemeut with another body, even if they had made a lad bargain. Mr A. M. Robertson, president of the Hawke's Bay Fruitgrowers' Association, said the public were not getting the benefit of the industry. If fruit was sent into every home, New Zealan.ler* would become a fruit-eating community. Fruit should be made rfceap to the people. They had 'now storage for 70,000 cases, Vu\ the overbead charge-! and the cost of handling after leaving the orchards increased tar cost 10i> per'cent. He advocated. t •• New Zealand paper mills being encouraged to make corrugated pastehoard boxes. The demand for boxes was great. No fewer than :100.000 eases were sent out of Hawke's Bay hst season. The Fruitgrowers' Fed eration was concerned in cheapening fruit. They were prganising and linking up the companies throughout New Zealand with that object. The public in the cities were not getting fruit at jrojier prices. The federation desired to have a depot at Wellington and other centres, and they hoped to have their own delivery soon, bringing fruit to their depots, thus saving auctioneers' charges to the benefit of growers and consumers.