Huge Banana Production
p. 28 · Read in the full issue
Swamps New Zealand Markets
By Our Fiji Correspondent.
SUVA, February 16.
THE banana industry is suffering from over-production in the Islands and the economic depression in New Zealand.
Since Australia put up barbed-wire entanglements, so that no Island ban anas should reach her long-suffering people, New Zealand has been the only market open to us.
Now, Tonga and Samoa and the other Island Groups are pouring ban anas on to that market, which has been unable to stand the strain of economic depression existing in New Zealand it self, and hence prices have collapsed.
The shipment, by the “Tofua,” in the middle of January, of 20,000 cases, turned out disastrously; and, after pay ment of freight and selling charges, shippers received somewhere about 2/a case. As the case itself costs 1/6, and the export taxes, etc., about 6d., the only persons who benefited by the “Tofua” shipment were the Fijian growers, and the owners of the cutters, etc., which transported the fruit to Suva.
The consequence of this was that the “Tofua” in February took a reduced
quantity of 12,000 cases; but cables just to hand (February 16) report that a shipment from Tonga of 5,000 cases had arrived in a half-ripe condition and were selling at 5/- per case in Auck land. Returns, therefore, for our “Tofua” shipment will probably be bad.
However, to misquote Henley, our heads at the moment may be particu larly bloody, but they are still un bowed.
Owing to the falling-off in the pas senger trade the “Tofua,” which was built 25 years ago, specially for the Is land trade, is to be withdrawn after April. In normal years, this vessel had a fair complement of passengers from New Zealand, who made the round trip to Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, and back to New Zealand. Nowadays there are no tourists —only bananas. The “Waipahi,” a small cargo steamer, is to be substi tuted; and the freight reduced, on ban anas, from 4/- a case, to 3/7.
Shippers feel that the “Waipahi” will be a more economical boat to run for the Union Co., and that freights should be reduced still further. It is generally thought that the banana trade will not stand a freight of more than 3/- a case, under present circumstances.