FRUIT CANNING.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2586, 21 August 1909, Page 3

FRUIT CANNING.

THE BEGINNING AMD THE

WHAT HAS BEEN DONE AND IS YET TO DO.

Mr. Jaciues, the. Government canning ox—pert, will be leaving the Government service at the- end of the month, and what the Government proposes to do, if anything .at all, has not yet been made public. Mr. Jaques, however, in the course of an interview with a “Wellington Post” reporter, to-day, expressed himself as sorry that now Ins work had really begun to show definite results it should, as far as he was concerned, have come to an untimely end. “Five years ago,” lie said, “when I first came here there had been practically nothing done. There had been wrong advice given with regard to varieties of canning fruits suitable tor the markets of the world. I realised three things when I came here. 1 tael to break down the wrong advice that had been given as to the varieties suitable for canning and .preserving; Jhad to obtain the confidence ot the fruit growerst in the advice I was giving ; and I realised that I had come out too soon to make a prompt return, and to show immediate results from the work I had taken in hand. Last season many small factories commenced operations on r.'.y advice. Every one ot them has been so satisfied with the results of preliminary operations that each lias resolved to double the capacity and to quadruple the output. Besides which, many small factories, which have carried out preliminary experiments with the fruit available are proposing to develop tlie business and establish a suitable plant in a small way next season to develop the business. Speaking Of varieties of fruit suitable for canning, and those which bad previously been planted, ..and winch, in his opinion, were unsuitable, (Mr. Jaques observed rt-liat the latter had been replaced with other varieties under his direction, and these are now bearing, mid. 'would be available within the next few years for canning purposes. “In some districts,” Mr. Jaques continued. “It has been most difficult for me to influence fruitgrowers to go upon right lines, especially so in tlie Auckland province.” THE INDUSTRY TO-DAY.

In speaking of the position of the industry as it was to-day. Air. Jaques said large areas of fruit had been planted with the express object of establisliiiig canneries. Some of these areas are now coming into bearing, and the' fruit canning business must immediately advance. ‘ ‘Especially is this so,’ ’ he added, “in the Nelson, Teviot, and other districts. The possibilities for other parts of the Dominion are equally great, provided that the right varieties are planted, and the right manipulation is followed.” “And as to the future?” “As to the future. AYell, I am entirely convinced that fruitgrowing in New" Zealand, in conjunction with tlie poultry-farming industry, will be the most staple 'stand-bys’ of this countij, especially seeing that by recent advices our butter and meat are receiving such a severe check in the Home markets. Air. Jaques -referred to the future settlement of the land in connection with tlie fruit industry, and held that the fruitgrower labored under great difficulties in that respect. The Goveminent li&il not seriously consideieci and provided suitable land for. the sottlement of fruit farmers, and many young men with money who canie here intending to go in for fruitgrowing, had been turned away from the country because there was no encouragement lor the bona fide settler as a fruitgrower. “The boom in land,” he, said, and the happy position of those who control it in not requiring money, had made it impossible, for people coming to New Zealand to obtain land for fruitgi owing. except at abnormally lugli prices. As an example of this, if one inquires the price of a piece of land which lie knows is in the market at £lO an acre, and it is discovered that it is for fiuil - crowing, then the price immediately lumps up to £4O an acre, for no other reason than that the owner is absolutely determined that the intending settler shall get no advantage that the' owner can secure for himself.” ANOTHER HINDRANCE.

Another hindrance, to the development of the fruitgrowing industry, in Mr Jaques’ view, was that those embarkedJri it were so greedy for all the profits that they would not pay toi decent labor to carry the work out on strictly business principles; and, further , the treatment of /.tlie paid hands in the country was so lacking in consideration for their comfort that very few men would put up with the treatment after -the first year. This was nob peculiar to fruitgrowers. _ It applied equally to other industries m New Z<eaAgain, fruitgrowers were ffildoni brought up to the business, observed Mr. Jaques, nor have they, had tlie proper training in the system and' methods that they undertake. They had practically worked out their own salvation as so-called fruitgrowers. Mature and climate have been. particularly good to them. .The means of marketing, too, were a further hindrance to the development of the bruit industry, growers being at present entirely in the hands of the middleman, and die shopkeeper is not satisfied with the enorinous profits. Fruit which, with suitable means for marketing might easily be placed before the public at a low price and become an article of daily consumption, is at. the present time an article of luxury, so that but few people have the courage to go into a ii uit shop even to ask the price. EXPERT ADVICE AND MUNICIPAL MARKETS. ‘ 'The producer should accept the advice of the'Department of Agriculture’s experts, and -carry it out to tlie utmost $$

letter,” said Mr. Jaques, “and make it his duty to produce fruit of the very highest grade possible. It should bo picked and gathered in a suitab.e manner.” Ho advocated the establishment of municipal markets, so that the fruit should pass direct from the grower to the consumer, and hotii would then have, fair play. While tlie Government had clone much for the dairy farmer and other farmers in providing suitable' land it had done nothing in this direction for the bona fide fruit farmoi. He recommended suitable land being provided in blocks of 25 acres or thereabout'; for fruit farming. Canning was absolutely necessary in certain r’stricts where fruit was not inmietl lately available for the local market. and canning must be kept in view bv the Government now that the indus-try-.'had been properly begun, in order to deal with the surplus fruit. “I exceeding regret,” Mr. Jaques remarked, “that the Government has dispensed with my services, but at the same time I would strongly urge that a canning expert be appointed to take my place in order that those in the fruitgrowing industry may receive advice arid instruction in this most important work of .canning and preserving, seeing that it lias been brought to the threshold of success.”