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23rd March, 1934. Deab Sibs, —• I am desired by the Minister for Commerce (Mr. F. H. Stewart) to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 2nd March regarding applications made by National Distributors Ltd. to the Commonwealth Dried Fruits Control Board to be placed on the wholesale list for Australian dried fruits in New Zealand. In reply I may say that the Commonwealth Dried Fruits Control Board'is a statutory body set up under the provisions of the Dried Fruits Export Control Act of 1924 with power to administer the arrangements for the oversea marketing of Australian dried vine fruits. Your representations on behalf of the National Distributors Ltd. have, therefore, been referred to the Board for consideration and reply direct to you. Yours faithfully, E. J. Mtjlvaney, Secretary. Messrs. 0. &. It. Beere & Co., Barristers & Solicitors, Wellington, N.Z. • 21st February, 1934. The Rt. Hon. Wm. A. Watt, Little Collins Street, Melbourne. Deak Mr. Watt, — I have shown your letter of the 7th to Mr. Sutherland and he has asked me to reply. He mentions in the first place that without having more definite information as to the Board's difficulties it is impossible for him to appreciate the reason for any further delay. So far as the growers are concerned he mentions that some of the Mildura people were over here some year or two ago and called upon him in Wellington with their chief representative and complimented him on his display of dried fruits which they said was the finest they had ever seen. Apart from them Messrs Crowe & Newcombe Ltd. of Adelaide, who apparently represent certain bodies of growers, were in communication with him in 1932 and told him that they would do all in their power to see that he was put on the direct list. At their suggestion an application was made in 1932 to the Fruit Control Board, but nothing came of it. In their letter to him of the 14th October, 1932, Messrs Crowe & Newcombe write as follows :— " We are in receipt of your letters of the 3rd and sth instant, enclosing copy of your application to the Commonwealth Dried Fruit Control Board. We have not heard when the meeting is to be held this month, but we should hear the results a day or two after it has been held. Should your application be unsuccessful we will probably take action in a political way but we want to avoid that if possible." Nothing happened with regard to the application and Mr. Sutherland did not pursue the matter with Messrs Crowe & Newcombe any further. Mr. Sutherland Jnr. went over to Australia last winter and was there for two months. We tried to arrange a meeting with the Board or the General Manager but were not successful. He was able to see only the Secretary. Before he left Melbourne Mr. Sutherland saw Messrs Joseph Nathan & Co. of Melbourne who said that they would do what they could, so that if any pressure at all has been exercised it has possibly been some approach made by Messrs Joseph Nathan & Co. In view of the apparent injustice of the whole matter, we can see no reason why the Board should object to very strong pressure being exercised. We refer you again and for your information again enclose copies of the letters written by Mr. Sutherland's company to the Dried Fruits Control Board. As you will see the first letter is dated the 20tli November 1931. There is a further letter on the sth October 1932 and another letter on the 11th May 1933. Can the Board possibly suggest that he has not been patient ? Since the application was made two of Mr. Sutherland's competitors have been put on the direct list, Food Stuffs Ltd. of Auckland a combination of small storekeepers, also Wardell's who have stores in Christchurch and Wellington. In Mr. Sutherland's opinion both of these people have turnovers considerably smaller than his. Frankly, Mr. Sutherland cannot understand the Board's attitude ! There is nothing in your letter to explain the treatment which he has received. The curious thing about the whole business is that he is on the direct list for Australian prunes, apricots, and peaches, also for all Australian canned goods. The only case where he has not been able to receive satisfaction is in his dealings with the Dried Fruits Board which is apparently a Government Institution. It occurred to us that there might be difficulty either about prompt payment for the goods or the fixing of satisfactory retail prices. Mr. Sutherland however, assures us that he can either pay cash in advance or by demand draft, and that as far as the retail prices are concerned, no question has arisen or can arise. In conclusion, he asks us to say that he cannot afford to let the matter stand indefinitely. Unless arrangements are made fairly soon for him to be put on the direct list, he will lose the benefit of the present season's buying. He asks me to say that if you cannot conclude a satisfactory arrangement with the Board on or before the Ist June next he would prefer that you take no further steps in the matter. Yours truly, 0. & R. Beeee & Co. 7th August, 1934. Stanley H. Wilson, Esq., Messrs. Pavey, Wilson, & Cohen, 360 Collins Street, Melbourne. Deak Sir, — National Distributors Ltd. and The Dried Fruits Board. I wrote to you on the Bth May last, advising you that I would write to you again as soon as I had seen Mr. Sutherland who had been ill. Mr. Sutherland's illness lasted for a considerable time and since then several of his family have been very seriously ill and he has had very little time to attend to business. I have now had a discussion with him with regard to the matter and he asks me, in the first place, to thank you for your efforts on his behalf. You suggest that a formal application should be sent in for National Distributors Ltd. to be placed on the best buying terms with the Board. Mr. Sutherland feels that he cannot do better than act on your advice. At the moment, however, he has sent forward a special order and if it is dealt with as he expects he will then know that his application has been granted and that your efforts have been successful. He is rather in a difficulty as to whether this formal application, therefore, should be sent in or whether the matter should be left as it is. He would be grateful for your further advices with regard to it. Yours truly,

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