THE FRUIT INDUSTRY.

Colonist, Volume LIV, Issue 13456, 29 June 1912, Page 2

THE FRUIT INDUSTRY.

THE DISTRIBUTION OF FRUIT* Mr. W. Snodgrass, of Nelson, contri-' butes the following practical suggestions on fruit distribution, which we (Auckland "News") recommend our orohardists to consiedr very carefully, as the seherr c seems simple and easily applicable to nearly overy district in the Dominion :—

A lot has bwn written lately about tli c need of improvement in the above, in the interests of both grower and consumer j but I think to bring about more satisfactory conditions the whole process of sale and distribution wan*s re-organ-ising. '■• •■ . -■■■■•■". j■' . ■•. -;-

Take apples. At present the consumer is asked from 3d to 4d per'lb for dessert apples at the height of the season, for which the grower does not get much, if anything, more than Id alb net. At first sight it appears as though someone is making an exorbitant profit. But let us examine the facts. Take the whole Dominion, and probably £25 a week would be a liberal average turnover ■ for .the fruiterers. Out of that they pay, say, an average rent of £2 a week, more for lighting than almost any other class , of tradesman, because £hey keep-open later, \yages and all the other-incidental expenses of running a business, very heavy charges for cartage because the bulk handled is so small, and of course a certain amount of loss. The rent may seem high, hut it must bo. remembered that to do any good a fruit shop must be in a good business position, and must be furnished and kept'in aiv attractive manner. The high prices asked- are necessary,, because the. proportion of expenses to turnover is in^ ordinatelyand, unnecessarily high.;.

And what kind of a service do the most of the- consumers get for the very lib-oral prices they are giving? Tho privilege of--paying for the fruit and "carrying it-homo." There is the weakest spot in the present method of distribution. Of course the bigger consumers can have their purchases sent home; but take the case of 90 per cent, of the public. Father is going to work in the morning, and mother says: "Bring home a few apples to-night." Perhaps he forgets' *ltOgeth<>r. If ho remembers, he buys, say, Is worth, nob because ho cannot afford more, but because of the nuisance of carrying more home. Again, 'in the big towns, ho may only havQ a few, minutes to catch his car, and 'rather than miss it he .misses the fruit. Or mother goes to town intending to get some fruit, and gets too tired, or collects too many other parcels, or for one of many other reasons doesn't buy it. Or, in; the middle of the jnorning, she would like to make an apple pie, only I there are none in the house, and it is Loo far to send for some, eyon jf she has anyone to send.

Growers, all tlies§ arid iriany other causes mean loss of sales to you. It is up to you to see if an improvement in distribution cannot be made. Fruit should bo an article of daily diet, instead of a luxury as it is ct present. Bv.t until you can "Put the fruit into the consumers' houccs at a reasonable price, and in a satisfactory condition," ib will bo hnrd to greatly increase the .present eonsmnption... .

In &oh:e towns there is an notation for municipal markets, but I fail to see how thfiv wdul(.r improve tho conditions from either tho growers" or consumers' standpoint. Tho present auction mart method seams quite as effective as far as prices are concerned. But neither method suits tho average consumer. -At the time the fruit is sold, most people are at work and cannot possibly get off to buy fruit. Even if they could, by tho time they pay. Is 6d or 2s cartage home on s, case it is pretty dear fruit. To increase the consumption tho grower must study the consumers' Hoods and pocket.

Now,! what about getting tho grocer to sell the fresh fruit as to-day he sells all the dried and canned fruits ? - Owing to the comparatively big turnover and completeness of plant necessary to carry on his present business, an additional line* like fruit could bo added to tho hundred and ono be is already selling r.t a. trifling percentage- of the cost of distribution under present conditions.

First of all, think of the many villages and country districts where th© grocer's or storekeeper's is the'only business, and no one caters for the fruit trade at all. It would mean a big increase to the consuming section of the community if the demand in these districts could ]>c met. Then at practically every home in the Dominion the grocer calls once or twice a week, solicits orders, ixnd delivers goods. No excuse then for being out of fruit. It lias been objected, that fruit would be too bulky ; but he is already delivering flour, kerosene, j>otatocs, etc., far bulkier ::;:d heavior lines.

But the average grocer is too busy a man to go inspecting and choosing fruit, as. must be done at present. If you want him to handle .your fruit, you must give it to him in a package he can pass on to his customer, and you must grade the contents so that he can telegraph this week and depend upon getting the same quality as supplied last week, just as he can order his butter, bacon, and cheese to-day. It is, not many years since he had to inspect and choose all these latter, And it lias only been by co-operation, care, and handling on a big scale, by experts that the regularity of quality has been readied which enables him to-day to buy with his eyes shut. - • ' ' Why not .form,district fruitgrowers' co-operative'" companies, and employ experts 1b grade and-pack all youi\ fruit, beginning with apples. Pack in any size and form .-of -package, that will suit the market, down to, cay, cardboard cartons contains Is or even 6d worth of apples, proportioning the given to pay for the extra cost of packing. Tho expenses would be very small if tho klea was worked on a. reasonably | i)ig px-alo. Sell them to tho wholesale grocers, whose travellers call on the retailers at least onco y month. They in their turn, calling on tho consumer every few days, would establish a chain of solicitation of orders and* delivery of .goods between the grower and consumer at, I think a much lower cost; and in a more effective manner than any

other schome which has been suggested. It would tako very little time to double the present consumption, if all the demand could be supplied at & reasonable* price, and with the increased quantity ■ of apples that will bo available whon all the trees now being planted come into full bearing, it Jbehoveß growers to look for further markets. Of course, thereis the export trade; but it would bo far safer and more profitable to properly supply the local market first. At present there are only enough apples grown in the Dominion to supply six months' demand Tinder present methods of distribution. It seems rather absurd for us to, be shipping to the other end of the world, and later on in the year importing for our own use at three or four times the price wo are now receiving apples which ripened in Australia at the same time as.jour own.

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