42 



Auction Sales of Fruit. 



Returning to Winnipeg a day was spent in connection with the wholesale 

 fruit trade, and several of the large houses were interviewed. The MacNaughton 

 Fruit Exchange has handled, during the past year or two, a considerable portion 

 of the fruit from the St. Catharines district, and has sold the same by auction 

 sale at regular intervals. This firm states that by this method it is able to dis- 

 tribute large quantities of fruit and place it in the hands of dealers quickly, and 

 generally at fair prices to the shipper. Occasionally, when for any reason fruit 

 has arrived in bad order, or an extra supply has been placed on the market, 

 comparatively low prices have prevailed. On the whole they considered the 

 auction sale the best method by which to dispose of perishable fruit. As opposed 

 to this view, the other large wholesale houses in the trade claim that this system 

 demoralizes business and does not work out to the advantage of either grower 

 or dealer. They also agree in the demand that more care should be taken in 

 the sorting and packing of fruits from Eastern points for the Western markets. 

 Transportation charges are high and the commodity must necessarily sell at a 

 fairly good price in order that the grower should receive reasonable returns from 

 his product. It is absolutely impossible to secure satjsfactosy prices for goods 

 .carelessly or improperly sorted and packed, reaching the markets in an unde- 

 sirable condition. It is admitted, however, that there has been a great improve- 

 ment in recent years in this respect, and that there are numerous packers in 

 the east who are now obtaining a first class reputation for their goods on the whole- 

 sale western markets. 



Best Method of Distribution. 



Probably the most satisfactory solution for the distribution of domestic 

 fruits in this market would be by means of a reliable, independent broker, dealing 

 with the wholesale trade at large in the interest of the shipper and having no 

 direct connection with any of the wholesale houses. Such a man, assisted by 

 the inspectors of the Federal Government, would be able to settle, in a fair and 

 equitable manner, any difficulties that might arise from time to time, could keep 

 the shipper posted as to any special conditions in the market, and be in a position 

 to distribute shipments to best advantage. 



Messrs. Maycock and Toms, who, in addition to fruit from Ontario, handled 

 86 cars of Nova Scotian apples during the past season, stated that much of the 

 latter fruit was under size and many dealers did not consider it up to grade, but 

 this being the first year for their fruit to enter the market they were disposed 

 not to criticize it too severely. As these apples necessarily come into competi- 

 tion with the larger sized fruit from the west, it will be necessary to establish 

 better grading if it is hoped to make any decided impression upon the market. 

 They do not consider the basket package now in use for the larger portion of 

 the tender fruits of Ontario, to be satisfactory for the western trade. They 

 believe that the four basket crate, carefully packed and properly loaded in the 

 cars, so that the fruit would not move during transit, is by far the best package 

 for the long distance shipment. 



Better Grading and Better Packages Necessary. 



Mr. Grisdale of the MacPherson Fruit Company practically emphasized 

 the opinions expressed by the other houses with reference to the necessity for 

 more care in handling, better fruit and more satisfactory packing and packages 

 for the western market. He stated that if the growers in the eastern provinces 

 could only learn to put up their fruit in a more satisfactory way, they could 

 undoubtedly hold this market, but under existing conditions the dealers were 

 forced, to a large extent, to give the preference to foreign-grown fruit 



