War In Rarotonga

Fruitgrowers and Middlemen

From Our Own Correspondent

Rarotonga, Jan. 26.

topic of the month has been propose(J Fruit Contro l Board, Petition and counter-petition to the their respective “panhand “o'r Signatures, have added to the interest of growers meetings, but

neither party is quite certain of the other s next move, the ultimate issue is still doubtful.

Both sections have provided themselves w ith watertight arguments. Certain facts, however, are obvious to the most casual and impartial observer. Firstly, the state tbe j oca i f ru it industry, is parlous and producers receive, in comparison with the middlemen, a shockingly poor return, secondly, should a Board of Control suc cessfully exercise all the functions which its pro tagonists claim for it, then un doubtedly it would bring the millennium a gtep nearer . Thirdly, many of the busi ness firms here would be adversely affect ed by guch a Board s i nce by no means tbe j' east par t of their incomes is derived from transact ions in fruit and the sale of both of wh ich activities would be n > oyer {n to%Q by the Board .

To what extent the interests of purely Private business i should be a matter affecting the good of the com mumty at large is a matter for tmnsidera tion,_ and in this instance seems causing a severe strain in certain quar ters, On one Point, however, all parties are agreed, and that is the need for a “guar anteed minimum price.” Full-control- Board advocates mention 7/- per case for oranges and bananas as a fair price and one which would permit of a reasonable standard of living. At first sight, this figure appears somewhat high, yet on in vestigation it seems that, even so, the cost to the New Zealand consumer would be lower than it now is.

In support of their contention, Board partisans point out that the inclusive charge of placing a case of fruit on the N.Z. market is 8/-, which figure, plus the suggested guarantee of 7/-, would repre sent a lower average than that realised on many of last season’s shipments

through the present channels, when the general run of prices paid to growers by local buyers varied between 2/- and 5/a case.

Another suggestion put the guaranteed price on a sliding scale, starting at 6/ and thence sliding off the page at &/-• At these figures, it is understood, txie local firms now acting as buying agents would themselves be prepared to provide the guarantee!

Between the warring factions, the Ad ministration, always anxious to avoid a serious controversy among the islanders, stands in a delicate position. A decision must be made —but the question is on which side it will go and whether it will meet with applause or disapproval from the audience.

Judge Ayson, C.M.G. (Resident Com missioner), who leaves by to-morrow s boat for Wellington, expects to be away a couple of months. Among other official duties he will present to the Prime Minis ter the two recently prepared petitions from local producers, the one advocating certain drastic reforms and the other op posing their inception.

In connection with the former, a depu tation of growers is expected to leave here next month with the object of waiting upon the Minister after he has had time to digest the proposals for a Fruit Control Board.

Rev. Cecil V. Longden, an English re cruit for the Melanesian Mission, arrived in Sydney by the Orontes on February 13. He is en route to Maka, Malaita Island, in the Solomons Group.

Messrs. George and Guy Le Mesurier, mining engineers, arrived in Australia recently by the Norwegian vessel Tudor, en route to New Guinea to prospect for gold. The brothers are seasoned travel lers, and have spent the past 10 years in East Africa, mining, prospecting, and big game shooting. Before going to Africa they spent 15 years in India.