Cook Is. Fruit

Suggestion that Govt. Control Board be Formed

From Our Own Correspondent

Rarotonga, Nov. 3.'

WITH the departure of the Makura to morrow, tomato shipments for the season may be said to close. From now on until the commencement of the new orange crop, fruit exports will be prac tically at a standstill, and the native grower, never conspicuous for his thrift, sinks into a state of financial hibernation, broken by short spells of wakefulness bought at the expense of next year’s crops.

For nearly a decade the Rarotongan has been acquiring an ever increasing stan dard of living. Tinned foods, expensive clothing, European housing and amuse ments, even Ford cars, have all acted as incentives to stimulate local productivity.

Consequently the depression has hit him harder than it has his cousins on the re moter islands of the group.

Income no longer marches with expen diture. But low as prices now are in com parison with four years ago, there is still a remarkable difference between the amounts paid locally for fruit, and the New Zealand returns for the same produce—a difference which had it reverted to the grower, would have been spent by him to the general ad vantage of the community, whereas, accru ing to non-resident middlemen, cannot in any way be said to benefit the Islands.

As an alternative to the present system under which local fruit-buyers operate in the interests of overseas firms, it has been tentatively suggested that a Government Control Board should handle the market ing of Cook Island produce, in such a

manner as would ensure the grower a maximum, in place of the prevailing mini mum, return for his labour. Naturally such a suggestion has met with bitter op position from those established interests whose very foundations would be im perilled by its adoption.

On the other hand, support is lent to the scheme by the marked price variations which have occurred during the past six months. For instance, figures for produce shipped by the Maunganui in October were: Price paid locally, oranges 2/6 to 3/6 case, bananas 4/- case, tomatoes 2/3 case; prices realized in New Zealand, oranges 14/- to 26/-, bananas 13/- to IS/, tomatoes 8/- to 15/-; approximate nett pro fit to middlemen, oranges 4/6 to 15/6, bana nas 2/6 to 7/6, tomatoes 2/9 to 9/9.

The figures given, which should be of interest to primary producers in other groups, represent the prices paid for fruit only, in the packing sheds, and are exclu sive of case, inspection, freight and other incidental charges. In order therefore to arrive at the nett profits, these must be deducted from the N.Z. returns. In the case of oranges these are approximately 7/per box, for bananas 6/6, and tomatoes 3/-.