A. V. ALLPORT.]

17

I.—loa.

come and tell us that we must grow, pick, and pack fruit as desired for exhibition, but there is nothing in the Bill to say that they are to pay for it. All they get is what the fruit is sold for. We: all know that there is a lot of work involved in growing fruit for exhibition purposes, and that would be a total loss to the grower concerne;d. 8. Mr. Hawken.] I think you are misreading that clause ? —I do not think so, sir. 9. Mr. Forbes.] In the Bill provision is made that the Board shall give such directions as it thinks proper for the display of any fruit at exhibitions or elsewhere ? They have authority to tell you to do it under the Bill. Then there is another clause to the effect that the Board has full power to mortgage our fruit as if it were their own, and if they mortgage it, according to my reading of the Bill, it means that the growers have to repay the mortgage. 1 think, sir, that that is a power which should not be vested in the Board. Then, with respect to the Local Control Board, I think, as I have pointed out before, it is quite unworkable so long as one; district is controlled and the rest of New Zealand is not under control. Well, the experience of the present Control Board is enough to condemn it for all time, so I do not think I need say much more with regard to that aspect of the matter. 10. Mr. Field.] You said something to the effect that you would give an undertaking not to sell under the Control Board's price if you were given a free hand to market your fruit ?—Yes, that was the feeling of the meeting, and a resolution was passed unanimously at the: meeting to that effect. I may say that it was a meeting not of the Stoke Growers' Assoe:iation, but it was a meeting called for all the fruitgrowers to consider this Bill, and the majority of the growers were there, and the resolution just mentioned was carried unanimously. I will repeat it: that if the Bill was passed at all the fruitgrowers would be willing to come under a clause agreeing not to sell below the price fixed upon by the Control Board. 11. Was that a meeting of all the: fruitgrowers in the Nelson District ? —No, Stoke. 12. Did it extend up to Richmond ? Yes, it extended up to Richmond. 13. You mentioned something about the; restriction of selling-grounds: do you not think it would be possible for the Control. Board to ascertain the selling-grounds just as well as you might do yourselves ?—I do not think so, because; it is one body, and. I do not think you will get all the buyers to go to one selling body, the same as would happen if the fruit was distributed to, say, a dozen or so different bodies. They all have their favourites —that is, the buyers have their favourites to deal with. They are mixed up in lots of ways, and Ido not think the Control Board would be able to get the best of a lot of those firms. If the firms could not get the fruit from the Control Board, well, they wemld get it from Australia, Tasmania, or anywhere else. It is nothing to them as long as they get the fruit. 14. It would be an undue disturbance of the present conditions of marketing ? —Yes, absolutely. In the days when we were under private dealers we were in a far better position than we are to-day — with all the restrictions and control that we are under at the present time. We could then sell our fruit to whom we: liked, and get a good payable price for it. But since the restrictions have come in, and the private dealers have been cut out, we have nothing like the scope. 15. With regard to the representation on the Board, I understand that most of the fruit comes from Nelson and Otago ? Do you mean export fruit ? 16. Yes, export fruit. —That is correct. 17. What do you suggest should be the representation ? —Well, it should be based on a proportion of the fruit exported for the previous year, or for the three previous years—not on a district basis at all. It shemlel be according to the amount of fruit exported. Those who are exporting are the people who are interested in it. 18. Then you think the proposal for representation according to districts under the Bill is unsatisfactory, anil you do not know any way by which it could be made satisfactory ? —I do not think control altogether would be satisfactory, but it would be much more satisfactory if the representation was, as I say, on an export basis. 19. Would that be quite a simple matter ? —Well, 1 do not see why it should not be. 20. Then there is the; question about your being harassed,by being forced to pick and pack your fruit at a fixed time —at a fixed day. Do you not think you are rather looking for trouble there ? Is not that a matter of arrangement with your local association at the present time ?—Oh, no ; wo do not arrange in that sort of way at the present time. For instance, take a large orchard, say, the same as ours, of about 55 acres : It takes five or six days to do the spraying. Well, if the Board came along and told us " You have got to ship five hundred cases of apple's by a certain elate," we are bound then to ship on that date, and our spraying goes by the board. And the next thing we find is that we have the Government Inspectors down on us for having blight in our orchard. The spraying must be. done, or else we will have no fruit for export. The spraying must be done : that is one of the things that must be done at the right time. Well, supposing the Board came and said, just when that spraying ought to be done, ' : You have got to go and pack up your fruit," what sort of a position would the orchardist be in then ? 21. Could not that be elone by the Board after consultation with the local association of growers ? —No. An assoejiation cannot tell you when you are to spray : that must be decided upon by the' indivielual. fruitgrower. It must be decided upon by the individual fruitgrowers concerned every time. Each individual grower has got to do his work in the best way he can. 22. In regard to fruit-inspection, that is comparatively a small matter ? Oh, ye-s. 1 just mentioned that in passing. It is only a small matter, really. 23. Have you received fair payment for your exhibition fruit ?- We have only received the average price for exhibition fruit. It does not pay us, because of the extra amount of work involved. 21. You say you must have a special prie;e ? Oh, yes. We could not elei exhibition fruit for double; the; orelinary price.

3—l. 10a.