Oranges At 6D.!

NZ Goes For Beyond Pacific For SuppSies

NEW ZEALAND is suffering an orange famine. Oranges from Jamaica (West Indies) nicely coloured but insipid in flavour, in comparison with South Seas or Australian oranges, are being sold in Auckland for 6d. each.

New Zealand recently bought 15,000 cases—only half of what she ordered— from Jamaica; and now is trying to nego tiate a purchase of 40,000 cases from Palestine.

It is explained that this is the off-sea son for South Pacific Islands oranges— and that the orange crop in Rarotonga and elsewhere has not been much of a success. But the facts speak for them selves; New Zealand literally is starving for citrus fruits; all the mountainous islands of Fiji and Polynesia will grow oranges; a number of the Islands com munities are looking for new primary in dustries; and oranges can be kept for a reasonable time in cool store.

New South Wales and the Australian Territory of Norfolk Island can and do grow splendid oranges, and both places are close to New Zealand, and growers would be more than charmed if they could get 15/- per case. Yet New Zealand drags oranges from Jamaica and Pales tine, half around the world.

It is a ridiculous set-up—yet typical of the mal-distribution of essential commo dities that is seen throughout the Em pire, since Britain. Australia and New Zealand passed into the control of the super-planners of the' Socialist-Labour Parties. Private enterprise would clean up the NZ citrus situation in a very few weeks—but Wellington and Canberra have placed a curse upon all “exploiters.”

While ppliticians and bureaucrats are muddling around, organising hate ses sions against private enterprise, the New Zealand people are paying at least 6d. each for their oranges.