350 Journal of the Depahtment of Agriculture. — Oct., 1922. 



hits tlu' fruiterer who has fruit on Jiai'd winch he liought at a higher 

 price previously, and it will have a very had iufiueiice on the London 

 market, wliich is, after all, our principal market, and one which we 

 must protect. 



I do not think thai there is any trade which is in greater need 

 of organization and control than the fresh fruit trade. It requires 

 organization because it is a trade in perishable goods; it requires 

 control because fruit is a luxury, and therefore prices are determined 

 by the fancy of the buyers. 



To develop the business successfully, we must strive for two 

 things — 



(//) The provisioi of cold storage accommodation on all the 

 passenger steamers running direct to the Continent. 



( h) A regular supply to the market and at prices moie cr less 

 in line M-ith London values. 



How can we feed the market regularly at presents To a certain 

 extent it is done from Loncion. Fruiterers buy our fruit in London 

 if they cannot buy here, but this means extra expense, and tranship- 

 ment may cause depreciation in quality, but to feed the market regu- 

 larly by direct shipments is at present impossible. 



The Holland-South Africa Line have two steamers, the " Riet- 

 fontein " and " Eandfontein," fitted with 36,000 cubic feet refrigera- 

 ting space each, while the Holland-East Africa Line have in their 

 service the " Meliskerk," wjiich has a refrigerating space of 1,625 

 tons' measurement. Any shipments arriving by these direct steamers 

 would easily flood the market. 



I liave gone very carefully into the mattei with tJie shipping 

 company, fruit merchants, and cold storage people, and at a meeting 

 which was held in my office, the Holland-South Africa Line ygreed 

 to discharge fruit only on the wharf, and if required, only in the 

 early morning or late evening. It was decided that it was in the 

 interest of the fruit trade Jhat arrangements should be made for the 

 fruit to be taken into cold storage straight fi'om the ship, and in 

 case of large quantities the Holland-South Africa Line agreed to haul 

 their steamers to Van Staay's Wharf, charging the consigners actual 

 tug charges amounting to about 1.250 11., so that the fruit could be 

 carried from the ship's slings straight into the cool chambers of that 

 company. The extra charges for putting fruit into the cold storage, 

 including two weeks' storage, amount to roughly 1-^-d. per small box, 

 according to the company's tariff o\ (diarges. 



I recommend, thei'efore. that shippers instruct their agents to 

 put their frtiit from the steamer's cool (diambers straiglit into cold 

 storage here, that their agents be instructed to fix selling limits in 

 collal)oration with me, and that fiuit should -mly be taken out of 

 cold storage as it is sold. 



Any damaged fruit would naturally have to be sold at once 



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