E. C. REYNOLDS.]

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I.—loa.

all of which has to be found by this small company. So you will see that I want to speak from, my point of view now, because it is of vital necessity to us that if this Bill goes through it should not tie us up in any way. We have no objection to the Bill going through so long as it is for the benefit of the people, but wo do not want to see a Bill go through that would tie us up in such a way that it would bankrupt our company. Now, as far as local control is concerned, I think that that is very much more necessary than export control. Export control, as far as I can see, is not wanted. As far as I can see, the portion of the Bill that is not wanted is the export control. The London market, after all, is a matter of supply and demand, and what little we do send from New Zealand is immaterial to the London market. If the Bill goes through we will have no option at all from the moment the Bill is passed : we will be part and parcel of the scheme, and we will be bound hard and fast to the Bill :we will have no say in any shape or form. What I would suggest is that the Bill would be all right if you. will put in a clause to the effect that " this Bill shall not apply to any fruit that is shipped outside of the Government guarantee." That would mean that if we wish, to do so we can put our fruit on the London market, and do the best we can, and either sink or swim. If that- clause goes in I have no objection to the Bill so far as my company is concerned, and a large number of other growers have expressed the same opinion. Now, in regard to pooling, I do not think pooling of any kind should be allowed. The conditions are so different in the different districts, and the packing is so different. We employ a large number of expert packers, and I have brought a case up to show you the kind of apples we produce. I hope you will allow me to open it. It happens to be one that is not packed for export, but is packed for local use. It is not the best fruit, but it is fairly good. It is fruit which keeps well without cold storage. [Box opened and apples handed round.] Now, every apple that we send to the London market is wrapped in our own wrapper in order that wo may advertise our fruit, in the same way, for instance, as the " Sunkist " fruit is advertised by the American companies. We call our apples "Mountain " apples. That is what wo are doing. Our packing is carefully done by experts all through 3. Mr. Forbes.] Why do you use the term " Mountain " apples ? —Because they are apples grown at an elevation of 1,200 ft., where there are extreme frosts in winter and no extreme heat in summer. I may say that we have lately sent twenty cases Home under the hatches as general cargo by the " Otaki," and I have just received a cable from London saying that those twenty cases arrived in absolutely good order in London as general cargo. They were not placed in the cool chamber at all, but just shipped, as general cargo. 4. The Chairman.] How long is it since those apples were picked ? —They were picked in April. As I say, there were twenty cases of our apples sent Home in the " Otaki," and Mr. Attwood has just sent me a cable saying that they arrived in perfect order, without cool storage or anything of that sort. So that there is something in growing fruit at 1,200 ft. In Amcrioa, some of the growers grow their apples at an elevation of 5,000 ft., and they claim that an apple grown at that elevation is a perfect keeping-apple. 5. Mr. Gorrigan.] The higher it grows the longer it keeps?—Yes. We have about eight or ten different kinds of export apples which wo grow on our estate. Well, now, there is another thing that I cannot understand in this Bill, and that is this : The qualification for the export voter is fixed at twenty-five cases, while the qualification for the local consumption voter is fixed at 120 trees. Now, as an ordinary mature tree will produce four cases, that gives a qualification of 480 cases as against twenty-five cases for the export. Why should there bo that difference ? Then, again, Nelson, under the Control Bill, will have two members, and that is quite right under present conditions, because of the groat quantity shipped from Nelson ; but supposing by reason of the extension of the industry in other districts they are able to equalize or bettor Nelson, there is no provision in the Bill for the alteration in the quota. I may say that I have received a cablegram from Mr. Attwood to the effect that all our fruit forwarded to London is not yet sold, and he is evidently holding on to it. Although we are now in the month of September, he feels quite justified in holding on to the fruit, evidently with a view to getting the fruit put on to the London market when the best prices are obtainable. lam quite sure that he understands the position. I may say also that ho has a free hand in regard to the matter. He was asked if he would allow the fruit to be shipped, to him, and he said that he would do the very best he could for us. ; 6. Mr. Hudson.] I understand that you are against the Export Control Board? —Yes, sir. I said I was speaking personally as managing director of the Otago Central Fruitlands (Limited), and also as representing the Fruitgrowers' Council of Otago. 7. Do you approve of local control ? —I say that the probability is that it is wanted more than the export-control scheme is. Wo have come up here to see that the Bill, if it is to go through, is to go through in the best way possible. 8. Assuming there is no export control and you send, as you have been doing, a first-class article from Otago, do you not see that there is the possibility of another district sending inferior fruit to the London market and so damaging the sale of your fruit ? —No, sir, I do not. 9. You think that the quality of fruit you send is sufficient to hold its own on the London market and make a name for itself, independent of any other fruit from New Zealand ? —We have only commenced exporting, sir—we are oidy in the second year of our exportation of fruit. However, as a result of one shipment sent to South America, people wanted to purchase more of our fruit, but I had to write to them telling them we could not undertake to sell any more until we knew what the export conditions were to bo. 10. I understood you to go so far as to say that any person who did not want to come under the guarantee could ship any fruit he liked ?—Practically. 11. Do you not think that that would have a bad effect on the London market as a whole if that practice were carried out ? —No. The London market is so big that the quantity of fruit we send Home does not make any difference to it.