Fruit Buyers

Rebuffed

C.I. Growers’ Association Refuses to Pick Orange Crop

From Our Own Correspondent

Rarotonga, April 19.

THE orange season commenced this -*■ month with an unprecedented unan imity among growers, and local buyers who as usual were inclined to pooh-pooh the likelihood of any unanimous action have learnt that it is not always safe to count upon native laissez-faire.

At meetings convened by the recently formed Growers’ Association (comprising some 80 per cent, of the island’s pro ducers) it was decided not to pick the crop unless a fair and reasonable price w r as offered —opinion setting this between 5/- and 6/- a case. Since similar resolu tions have been passed by different dis tricts every year and nothing has ever eventuated beyond the last minute col lapse of such resolutions, buyers w r ere again cynical and unresponsive.

But as the day for picking arrived and passed and the various packing sheds re mained comparatively empty it was real

ised that the sympathetic attitude of the N.Z. Labour Government towards prim ary producers had already bred a new self-confidence among Rarotongan growers.

The prices offered —and rejected—were from 1/9 to 3/9 according to size, and re present 1/- a case lower all round than the prices offered at this time last year.

Yet, on the “unofficial wireless”, it was learned that during the current month the consumer value of a case of oranges in New Zealand was as high at 26/-.

As a result of this determination not to sell locally only 711 cases left the island instead of an anticipated 3,000, those shipped being either fruit on consignment or the property of non-members of the Association.

Roads Repaired At Arorangi

Other good work performed by the As sociation during the month has been the renovation of four interior roads in the district of Arorangi. Five hundred men w r ere engaged on the work, each putting in a single day without pay while the Ad ministration provided free rations.

That a new spirit is abroad in the is land today was evinced by the fact that although the Government has the auth ority to call upon inhabitants to repair the interior roads of their district, it can not force them to bring transport or other tools. Nevertheless, six motor truck owners voluntarily brought their vehicles to assist in the work.

Delegates To Attend N.Z.

Inquiry

The date for the hearing of evidence before the Parliamentary Committee de tailed to investigate the Cook Islands fruit industry is believed to be early in June. Although this has not yet been officially confirmed, delegates from Raro tonga are preparing themselves to leave by next month’s mail steamer.

Owing to the opposition raised by the Administration some months ago w r hen it w r as proposed to send a deputation and pay their expenses out of money standing to the credit of the various packing-sheds, the Growers’ Association has now col lected sufficient money among its own members for this purpose. It firmly op poses any suggestion that their opponents —to whose policies, rightly or wrongly, the Administration is popularly believed to lean —should be financed from any public funds.

Exporters’ Association Want

New Director Of Agriculture

At a meeting of the Exporters’ Asso ciation held during the month a resolu tion was passed to ask that a Director of Agriculture be appointed who was thor oughly conversant with the citrus indus try.

The obvious inference is that the pres ent Director, Mr. W. T. Goodwin, lacks that qualification. The insinuation might command some attention in quarters where it was not known that Mr. Good win, since his arrival in Rarotonga last September, has been the driving force behind the suggested Fruit Control Board and that members of the Exporters’ As sociation form the bitterest bloc of op ponents to the Board in question!

Mr. and Mrs. D. Coulter Harman, of Thursday Island, are at present spending holidays in Cairns, North Queensland.

Mr. Robert Brett, who was for several years in charge of the Thursday Island police station some time ago, died in a private hospital at Summer Hill, N.S.W., on April 5, aged 79.