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however, that competition in the fruit- carry ing trade has caused 

 the shipping companies to pay closer attention to details which 

 safeguard the interests of their customers, and every season shows 

 less waste in the fruit cargoes shipped to the European markets. 



Some notes culled from reports from London agents or from 

 shippers' notes will give an idea of the cost of shipping fruit from 

 the Eastern States and of the risks attached : 



Says a London correspondent : " Oranges from Sydney, per 

 Oceana, in June, had suffered severely from rains just prior to 

 picking, and had been packed wet. Result, one-third consignment 

 had to be classed second, third, and fourth grade, according as 

 they contained 10 per cent, of unsaleable fruit, 15 per cent, and 20 

 to 25 per cent, of * waste ' (each grade worth Is. 3d. to Is. 6d. per 

 grade per box). Under such circumstances it is wonderful that so 

 large a percentage of fruit arrived sound. Oranges ought to be 

 cut off the trees, and be allowed to dry for fully three days before 

 being boxed up for shipment ; and it is also essential to their well- 

 being on the voyage that they should be stowed so as to get a 

 maximum of ventilation, in order to get rid of the gases which they 

 throw off in such profusion." 



" Oranges for London as Ordinary Cargo. Mr. Charles Pitt, of 

 Payneham, has kindly shown us (says the Garden and Field) 

 account sales of several small shipments of oranges, packed in 

 ordinary cases, and sent by the Lund's Line of steamers as ordinary 

 cargo. The expenses on 50 cases were : Cases, wrapping, and 

 cartage, Is. 3d. a case ; freight, wharfages, insurance, and other 

 Adelaide charges, 2s. 7|d. ; and London charges, Is. 2|d. ; or a 

 total of 5s. Id. per case. The fruit arrived in splendid condition at 

 the beginning of September, and was sold by Messrs. John Osborne 

 and Co., of Covent Garden Market, London, at a price which netted 

 3s. a case above the price the same fruit would have realised in 

 Adelaide. We gather from the advices that the market was limited 

 at the prices obtained. They were shipped through Messrs. Geo. 

 Wills and Co., of Grenfell Street." 



" Shipments of Oranges and Lemons. The South Australian 

 department's shipments for 1889-1900 of 200 cases realised a 

 gross average of 14s. 2d. a case, prices ranging from 1 s. to 20s. 

 per case. The average charges amounted to 4s. 8d. per case, making 

 a net return of about 9s. 6d. per case." 



Shipment of Apples. The following account of sales and 

 charges on a consignment of 50 cases of apples from Victoria gives an 

 idea of the transaction on a particularly successful consignment : 



" The fruit was shipped through Melbourne agents recom- 

 mended to me, says the shipper, by Mr. T. Lang of Harcourt, and 

 from them I received on the 23rd May full credit for the net 

 proceeds, less 12s. 6d., which is my Melbourne agent's charge for 

 50 cases at 3d. per case. For this 3d. my agents do everything. 

 All I have to do is to despatch the fruit and send them advice of 

 truck number. Every shipment is complete in itself, and wiped 



