They’re Not From Fiji!’

If They’re Poor Bananas . . .

Suva, May 25.

FIJI is a little touchy when New Zealanders criticise the quality of bananas exported to the Dominion. Their resentment is expressed by Mr. Jack Barbour, formerly a grower, buyer and ex porter of bananas in Fiji, who now lives in NZ.

“Fiji is blamed for all the bad fruit landed in NZ, whereas a lot of it comes from Samoa and Tonga,” Mr. Barbour reports. “New 7 Zealanders think that all bananas come from Fiji—but the other ex porting groups are often the real culprits.”

Speaking of Samoan bananas he had inspected at Whangarei, Mr.

Barbour said: “Some of the fingers were just over two inches long and others a little over three inches.

One compartment of a case con tained 351 fingers. If the other side was of the same quality that case contained more than 700 fingers!”

Two years ago a similar storm blew up. The Agriculture Depart ment at Suva, after pointing out that Fiji contributed only part of NZ’s banana imports, stated: “Fruit shipped from Fiji is subjected to strict inspection. The shippers re ceive a bonus on every case that lands in NZ in good condition. Thus it is to their advantage to ship

only good quality fruit. There are inspectors at every packing station and the fruit is again scrutinised at the Suva wharf.”

Fiji’s exports of bananas are steadily recovering from the 1953 record drought, which cut produc tion when it had only just recovered from the 1952 hurricane.

r Mr. Alf Huybers, well-known head of Queensland Pastoral Supplies Ltd., is visiting Papua and New Guinea this month, to see whether he can establish a new plan for supplying pre-fabricated houses for the Territories, where the housing shortage continues to be acute.