Fruit Industry

Plight of Cook Islands Fruit Industry

RECENT reports of dissatisfaction among Cook Is. fruit growers con cerning the N.Z. Government’s hand ling of their produce are echoed in a sur vey made by Mr. W. P. Browne, secret ary of the Rarotonga Growers’ Associa tion.

Since the Government took over control, he states, the promised “new deal” has not eventuated. In fact, the first year’s returns (1938-39) were lower than the average paid by merchants for the pre vious three years. At present the total cost to grow a case of bananas is 4/4 — and growers receive only 4/-, plus 3d. for manures! Dissatisfaction with the price and conditions has had a lot to do with the small quantities of fruit avail able for export, because growers neglected

their plantations.

The position regarding tomatoes is equally unsatisfactory—last year over half the tomatoes available were lost through lack of shipping facilities.

Liable For Income Tax!

On April 1, a well attended public meet ing at Rarotonga made a bitter protest against the recent action of the N.Z.

Government in making the C.I. people liable for income tax. Speakers pointed out that the Group has no representation in Parliament, possesses no old-age or widow’s pensions—none of the advantages taxpayers expect. The new Act, it was stressed, would put most of the small native storekeepers and planters out of business —the majority were incapable of keeping books and certainly could not pay an accountant to keep books in order to prove they did not earn £2OO p.a.

Mt. Kasi Mines, Ltd., Vanua Levu, Fiji, reports a net profit of £F14,130 for 1939 compared with £F11.648 in 1938.