WANGANUI RETAILERS BLAME I.M.D.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 90, Issue 55, 7 March 1946, Page 3

WANGANUI RETAILERS BLAME I.M.D.

SHORT FRUIT SUPPLIES Provision of a better supply of fruit for Wanganui, lack of which was complained of at the monthly meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, rests with the Internal Marketing Department, according to local fruiterers. At the Chamber of Commerce meeting, Mr. G. A. Ammund..en said that nine varieties of plums were on sale in. New Plymouth recently but only two varieties could be had in Wanganui at the same time. “The fruit is definitely not on offer here," said the secretary of the Wanganui Retail Fruit and Vegetable Traders’ Association, Mr. A. E. Ogier, when the matter was referred to him by the “Chronicle” yesterday. “The Internal Marketing Department allocates the different kinds of fruits to be sent to each district, and during the lazt three weeks only two varieties of plums have been sent here. Then, only one case was offered for each retailer present at the market. Those who we. e not present when the plums were put up missed.” Speaking of apples, Mr. Ogier said that Tuesday was the first time this sea-on, which was almost ended, that retailers had been able to get all the supplies they wanted. It was unusual, he said, to see more than 16 cases of peaches in a shipment reaching Wanganui through the I.M.D. These had to satisfy the needs of the 52 retailers who bought regularly at the two Wanganui wholesale markets. Regarding berry fruits, Mr. Ogier said that a few boysenberries had been consigned here at the start of the season, but to his knowledge no raspberries had been put on the market through I.M.D. channels. There are I.M.D. depots at New Plymouth, Palmerston North and Hastings, and Wanganui allocations are mostly made from the two latter centres. There has been talk of the l. establishing a distributing depot in Wanganui, but no 'official ac. has yet been taken. There is a belief in the retail fruit trade, however, that the department is making plans to esliminate the wholesale distributors who are marketing fruit and vegetables at present, and to deal direct with retailers through, out the Dominion.

Wanganui Chamber of Commerce decided at its meeting earlier in the week to go into the question of fruit supplies with local interests first. Mr. Ogier said yesterday that his organisation had been trying for months to get the I.M.D. to give Wanganui bigger allocajors, and he hoped, that the Chamber of Commerce would add its pressure to get an improvement. "The places which make the most noise seem to get the best results,” Mr. Ogier concluded.