670 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [11 Nov., 1912. 



that the only means by which the suburban fruiterers and barrowmen can. 

 obtain their supplies is by attending the early morning markets, or by pur- 

 chasing the fruit required at the Western Market, in _ the city. To 

 compensate for the wear and tear incurred through the journey into the 

 city and back, tlie long hours worked, and the great length of time occupied 

 in obtaining his supplies, the retailer has necessarily to charge high prices 

 for his fruit. This has the effect of lowering the average consumption, 

 and also curtails the profits which would accrue if more direct methods 

 were in force whereby the fruiterer could secure his goods. The necessity 

 for working half the night during, at least, three nights of the week 

 precludes the possibility of the fruiterer conveying his fruit to the houses 

 of the consumers in his locality, and he has therefore to depend, in large 

 measure, upon the residents calling at his shop to make their purchases. 

 Many of the growers adjacent to the metropolis bring their fruit to the 

 Queen Victoria and South Melbourne Markets and sell direct to the 

 retailers and consumers. The growers other than those adjacent to the 

 metropolis are dependent for the distribution of their fruit upon the 

 Western Market alone. The retailers in the Prahran Market consist 

 mostly of Chinese and Greek vendors of an itinerant type. The grower 

 whose residence is so contiguous to the metropolitan markets as to enable 

 him to convey his fruits to the city and sell these direct to the consumer 

 would, at first sight, appear to possess an advantage over his fellow-grower 

 who resides in a more distant portion of the State, as, by such direct sales, 

 he is enabled to eliminate the profits of the middleman. When, however, 

 the time occupied in travelling between the orchard and the market, in the 

 disposal of his fruits, and in the return journey, and also the cost of wear 

 and tear to his plant, is considered, the advantage is more apparent than 

 real. The expense of placing his fruits on the markets is almost as great 

 to the grower adjacent to the city as it is to the grower of the outlying 

 district. 



The foregoing facts tend to show that, consequent upon our cumber- 

 some methods, the contingent expenses incurred in distributing our fruits 

 for local sale are such as to lower the profits to the grower and raise the 

 prices to the consumer. Whether the grower elects to convey his own 

 fruits to the market and personally dispose of same, or whether he depends 

 upon the wholesale merchant in the only wholesale market in the metro- 

 politan area to dispose of these, the time and labour involved under our 

 present methods of distribution are such as to render in some seasons both 

 the production and consumption of fruits an unprofitable proposition. 

 That fruit is a special product and needs special methods in connexion 

 with its harvesting, handling, transportation and marketing has not yet 

 been fully realized, and consideration also has not been given to the fact 

 that our conditions are constantly changing, and that our methods of distri- 

 bution should be altered accordingly. 



The following outline of the marketing facilities and methods which 

 have recently been adopted in Sydney since the erection of new municipal 

 fruit markets there may serve to show, by comparison, how very urgent 

 reform in our own methods is necelssary. These markets cover a total 

 area of i2| acres of ground, and the section reserved for the disposal of 

 fruit occupies 2| acres. The market contains 34 stalls, of two stories, 

 and 34 offices. The ground, or floor space, will accommodate 500 vendors, 

 with ample room for the display and disposal of fruit. A branch 

 fumigating chamber and cold-storage accommodation containing 30,000 

 feet of air space is also provided on the ground floor. The space on this 



