Red Tape Ties Up Export of Norfolk Is

Norfolk Is. Fruit to NZ

Mr. Douglas Richards, Popular

taxi driver, has disposed of his in terests on Norfolk Island, and is departing. His yellow and brown jeep station waggon was known to hundreds of tourists. * Mr. Richards, some time ago, shipped an experimental consignment of 50 cases of bananas to the Internal Marketing Division in New Zealand. This body—to explain to the uninformed—consists of a collection of ornate and modern offices and buildings loaded with civil servants, and scattered over the face of New Zea land. Their sole aim, it seems, is to con found the producer and jack up prices.

The Division is similar to those Apple and Pear Boards with which Australia was afflicted.

Mr. Richard’s experimental consign ment remained experimental, for, it seems, the only financial reward gained was by the Division.

Exceptionally heavy crops of oranges and lemons are noted this season.

Tourists —especially from orange-starved NZ—comment bitterly on the fact that the fruit cannot be exported from here to NZ.

Oranges sold in NZ come from the Cook Islands and the supply represents about 20 per cent, of the demand. In addi tion, the price is ridiculously high. The same applies to bananas.

From Our Norfolk Island Correspondent