DOMINION FRUIT EXPORT

Taranaki Daily News, 6 September 1929, Page 11

DOMINION FRUIT EXPORT

GROWERS HOLD CONFERENCE

RECOMMENDATIONS TO BOARD.

OVERSEAS MARKETS DISCUSSED.

By Telegraph.—Press Association,

Wellington, Last. Night.

A special conference of fruitgrowers and representatives of the Control Board to-day discussed new markets for New Zealand fruit shipments for consumption overseas and other aspects relating to fruit exports from New Zea land. The chairman of the Fruit Control Board, Mr. L. Brown, presided. Delegates were present from all parts of the Dominion.

A remit was carried: “That the fullest investigation be made into the discrepancies which occur between the actual shipments by growers and the outturn at the destination, also into tne method of claiming on such shortages and the amounts claimed for, with particular reference to the final statements of shortage in pools for the 1928 season.” i

The meeting carried a- remit asking the Control Board to report on the possibility of simplifying the labelling, sticking and marking of eases. It was decided to draw the board's attention to the recurring loss shown on account sales by cases shown as wasty, pillaged, slack and sample, etc., and to ask the board if it could suggest a remedy. It was also recommended that the overseas representatives of the Control Board be asked to report on the condition and appearance of fruit at its destination, particularly in regard to packing cases and labels, the report to be available previous to the annual report conference. The meeting decided that should a surplus of export fruit accumulate due to shipping not being available, the board should make arrangements with local cool stores to store the fruit until such surplus had been cleared, the surplus mentioned, being fruit stored in open sheds in Wellington. In view of the. fact that sliced apples in export cases were one of the direct causes of expense in reconditioning at Wellington, deterioration of fruit, loss of weight- per package owing to the removal of damaged fruit not replaced and deterioration in general appearance of the case by mould and reconditioning, it was agreed that the field officers and inspectors of the horticulture division, packing shed managers and growers generally, should be urged to impress upon packers the necessity of putting up a pack in such a manner- as would prevent such damage. The advisability of shipping overseas the bulk of the Nelson fruit crop direct from Nelson was brought up by Mr. J. Dicker (Nelson), who said that the Nelson growers were losing money through shipping their fruit - via Wellington. The conference passed a resolution supporting the principle of local loading of export fruit wherever possible and recommending the matter to the Control Board for favourable consideration. The action of the board in seeking to prevent the export business from passing into private interests was confirmed by tiie conference. • The shipping of export fruit in the .same rotation in which it was received was recommended.

A remit was carried asking that steps be taken to eliminate the rough handling of export fruit in Wellington and other places. Reference was made to the glutted state of the local pear market, and the Control Board was urged to seek further outlets for the sale of pears.

A recommendation was made that experimental shipments of apples and pears other than the varieties and sizes scheduled in the Government regulations be forwarded to the United Kingdom, Europe, South America, Canada, and other possible new markets. It was decided to hold an export conference annually.