Fruit Juice

Useful Secondary Industry in the Cook Is.

From Our Own Correspondent

Rarotonga, Aug. 9.

TJNTIL comparatively recent years a considerable portion of the Raro . tonga orange crop went entirely to waste.

Fruit rejected on account of size or other export regulations was either left to rot or found its way into the übiquitous “bush-beer” tub. The loss occasioned in this way was tremendous.

To the business 'foresight of Mr.

Robert McKegg, managing director of the Cook Is. Trading Co., is due the credit of being the first to size up the possibilities of the situation. By his initiative in turning these to good ac count, he has benefited not only his own firm but also all those growers who were formerly unable to find an outlet for their rejected or surplus products.

To-day, during the orange season, some 22 natives are regularly employed to deal with an average of 140 cases per day, bought from the grower at 1/3 a case.

The oranges are first washed in a fungoid and bacteria destroying tank, sliced in halves and the sections squeezed on a series of revolving cups. The juice thus extracted is then strained, passed through a container where it is brought to within a few degrees of boiling point before being led into glass jars which are after wards sealed and placed in racks to cool off. The whole process, although a sim ple one, requires minute supervision to maintain the necessary standards of cleanliness, temperature, etc., which are essential to its success.

For the past two seasons the services of Mr. H. T. Hunter, manager of Citrus Products Co. (Auckland) have been spec ially engaged. This firm is the only one in N.Z. at present preparing fruit juices in a similar manner, and Mr. Hunter’s experience in the Dominion has proved invaluable at this end. Under his man agement the local plant—which has a maximum daily capacity of 400 gallons of juice—turned out last year 3,600 gallons.

This year the estimated output is slightly over 4,000 gallons.

Unfortunately these figures represent but a fraction of what could be produced during the orange season, and indeed only represent the quantity which can be ab sorbed by the Co.’s present clientele among the N.Z. aerated water and allied trades. Nor are the prospects of a greatly increased production likely until the authorities place a higher tariff on the Australian manufactured juices which are now flooding the N.Z. market to the detriment of the local industry.

Lubeti Finau, a 20-years-old Tongan, has been distinguishing himself in Syd ney, where he is a student at Newington College. At the school sports in August he won the 120 yards hurdles, the shot putt, and the high jump, equalling the College record in the last event with a leap of sft. B|in.

Rev. W. J. V. Saville of the London Missionary Society is at present working on a translation of the New Testament for the use of the Mailu Island people, off the coast of Papua. He has had 35 years of service under the L.M.S. on Mailu, and is a learned anthropologist whose work has been highly praised by such authorities as Dr. A. C. Haddon and Professor Malinowski.