They Want More Fruit

For New Zealand

Coincident with the annoui ment that New Zealand F Distributors Ltd., the !

Zealand Government’s fruit porting and distributing age would establish a fund to encoui the Fiji banana industry, Harvey Turner, chairman, and C. Ross Walker, general-man of the organisation, departed c round of the fruit growing ish of Polynesia in mid-September.

In a ten-day tour they hopei survey citrus fruit production p pects in areas other than the ( Islands.

In Fiji they were told by grov representatives that this y< estimated export crop would 365,000 cases—as compared 382,000 cases actually shipped year. The growers hope to ] 460,000 cases next year, 600,000 c in 1956, and a goal of 750,000 ( —the quantity asked for by Zealand—by 1957.

The Department of Agricu plans to increase the planted to 3,000 acres, arrange for proved weeding, cultivation, ft isation and the use of insectic: and assist people interested in ei ing the Colony’s banana indust Because bananas delivered tc wharf are not in regular quani and because of the difficult; allocating the correct shipping s importers are arranging to growers half the f.o.b. price oi bananas left behind. This arra ment will apply at least until end of 1954. Bananas despat in a non-refrigerated vessel wi inspected before loading, and if in good order but fail to arrh New Zealand in that condition will, never-the-less, be paid f( full, thus generously satisfying complaint of some shippers.

These concessions are in adc to the 3d. per case subsidy v the NZ Govt, recently annor that it would pay on all bananas.

New Zealand importers are pared to come to arrangen whereby fruit cases will be sup from NZ to meet any serious ficiency, thus overcoming this bottleneck.

Mr. and Mrs. E. T. Fulton, three small daughters, arrive Australia in September Makurapau Pltn., N. Britain.

Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Carter Port Moresby on October Bulol an extended holiday abroad, fl Mr. C. H. Patel, Suva bus man, made a business visit to Tonga, Samoa and Tahiti in tember-October.

U Mr. K. J. Garnstt of Suva, ac panied by his wife and y family, left recently for Gla He will study Veterinary Mec at Edinburgh University.