Cook Is. Orange Crop
p. 19 · Read in the full issue
From Our Own Correspondent.
Rarotonga, April 20.
THE first consignment of the new orange crop is to leave by the Maun ganui on April 23. Owing to the extensive damage done by the recent hurricane, shipments this year will be considerably smaller than usual.
Prices quoted at the beginning of the week were 5/- in the shed for mark 150 and higher: 4/- for marks 112 and 126. To these figures—which show a nett profit to the grower, less labour costs —no excep tion can reasonably be taken, as they re present a slight increase on the prices ob tained during the last year or two.
Native growers, wishing to take full advantage of the good prices, are occa sionally shortsighted enough to attempt the despatch of immature fruit. Such ac tions are liable to come back in the form of permanent suspicion and low price levels. This is one of the disadvantages that European planters are subjected to when their fruit forms only a small part of consignments, shipped largely by na tive growers.