ISLAND FRUIT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19840, 14 May 1927, Page 6

ISLAND FRUIT

The Dunedin telegram outlining the possible steps to be taken to bring the southern parts of the Dominion more into touch with the fruit growers of the Pacific Islands is one of special interest. Hitherto the consumers in the southern parts of New Zealand have been at a disadvantage, inasmuch as there has been no direct communication between them and the growers. Shipments have almost invariably been to Auckland, and supplies have had to come through that port. There has, of course, been some complaint on this score, but most of it has been beside the question. The reason why boats have run to Auckland instead of to the south is because it pays the shipowners better, and it is absurd to suggest that they should put boats on a run which is less payable. The only remedy is another boat service, and of this there now seems some prospect. How far the new service, if it eventuate, will benefit the consumer remains to be seen. It has been asserted that a ring in Auckland practically controls the retail price of tropical fruits all over the Dominion. But there is just as much likelihood of other rings springing up in connection with the proposed southern service. So far that possibility does not. appear to have been given a thought, and consequently there has been no suggestion made to prevent it. Speaking offhand, the only possible action in this particular direction appears to lie in the municipalities taking control of distribution in the same manner as Wellington handles milk supply. How far they would care to go in that connection and how they would avoid clashing with legitimate established interests are matters for consideration, however. Whoever handles the fruit must take one matter into account and that is its conditioning and packing at the Islands themselves. Admitting that they are at times shipped in unsuitable boats, it is nevertheless a fact that, even when carried in ships specially built for the purpose, oranges not infrequently arrive in the Dominion in a condition which involves a large proportion of waste, which is inevitably reflected in higher prices. The matter of providing the New Zealand consumer with tropical fruits at a reasonable price and at reasonable remuneration to the grower is not going to be settled merely by putting on a new shipping service. The whole business needs to be overhauled and reorganised both at the growing end and at the distributing end, as well as in regard to transport, and the consumer’s interest equally with that of the grower, the carrier and the distributor, should be represented in any effort to perform that task.