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1935/36

3Aug35: Total of 1,770,801 cases of bananas consumed in Aust in 12mths ended 30Jun35, meaning that the average Australian ate 2 bananas a week. NSW contributed 956,902 1½ bushel cases, QLD 805,149 cases, Norfolk Island 4000 cases and Fiji 4750 cases. NSW production dominated the Sydney market while both NSW and QLD shared the Melbourne market. QLD dominated Brisbane market but majority of production went to Melbourne. Some conflict figures. Average price 11/3d per case.
8Aug36: New production record. 1,530,000 combined NSW and Qld cases marketed for year ended 30Jun36. Some conflict figures (NSW = 3 different production figures?) Average price per case = 11/10d but alternate 6/-?

(Historical: In 1934 QLD sent 416,000 cases to market while NSW sent 900,000. In 1935 QLD production fell to 370,000 and NSW to 806,000. In 1935 NSW had 22,000 acres and QLD had 20,000 making 42,000 acres producing bananas. Jan to Jun35 401,000 cases produced while 747,000 produced Jan to Jun36, of which QLD contributed 104,000.)
17Sep36/2Oct36: 50% of plantations on Coorabell Ridge destroyed Cyclone. Total damage was £2000.
10Oct36: BGF AGM. 1,259,779 cases consigned to southern markets to 30Jan36. Increase of 191,014.

1936/37

3Jun37: NSW now produces 80% of bananas sold in southern markets. QLD opening up home market.
8Jul37: Banana Stats for previous 2yrs. Some conflict. NSW produces 1,046,600 cases or 1,016,000? At average 16/- per case
5Feb38: Banana packers paid 10/- per day and can do 20 to 25 cases/day. £35/acre to establish a plantation. Net returns over 6mths = 10/- case. Retail price of banana cases = 1/3d.
1938 NSW produces 912,230 cases.

1939/40

In the six months to February 1940 the Brunswick Valley district consigned a total of 125,000 cases to the Sydney markets, giving a return to growers of £65,000. In February 24,211 cases were consigned, with half coming from the immediate areas around Mullum
Early 1940 markets becoming congested. Heaviest loadings since 1938.
Early 1940 the Tweed District Council of the BGF represented 12 branches: Tweed Heads, Doon Doon, North Arm, Murbah, Couchy Creek, Bilamble, Terranora, Banora Point, Carool, Stokers-Dunbible, Piggabeen and Tumbulgum.
25Apr40: Banana growers miserable payers to workers. The average wage of banana workers was £3 per week when the basic wage was about 4 guineas.
10May1940: Total of 17211 acres of Bananas NSW. Tweed 5935 acres and 324,718 cases (or 378,905cases?) produced = 40% of State production. Brunswick 4087acres and 231582 cases = 27%. Average of ~12/- per case?
17Jun40: Historical Banana Stats.
10Jul1940: Tweed Banana Growers received £246,288 for fruit consigned in the 12 months period to 31May1940. This amount is inclusive of the cost of cases, which has been estimated at £18,945. It compares with £225,000 received by growers for the preceding 12 months when 375,499 cases were consigned as against 378,905 last year…. For the same period beans and peas consigned to the southern markets were of an estimated value of £15,000 and potatoes £5000. These amounts compare with respective figures of £18,000 and £5000 for the preceding year.
16Aug1940 Mullum Star: Banana Stats. Best period in the history of the industry with eights and nines continuing to bring 23/- a case and specials 25/-
15Oct40 Tweed Daily: BGF bonus of £4300 paid out - 1d a case paid to shareholders and 2d a case to non shareholders. NSW production of 1,078,383 cases to 30Jun40 does not include 162,440 cases from QLD which made their way to southern markets. = 16,435 cases less than 38/39 combined totals. BGF has 1360 shareholders and represents about 75% of banana growers. Roy Armstrong of Brunswick elected Chairman.

1940/41

10May41: Jul40 to Mar41 = 1,124,758 cases. July39 to Mar40 = 991,460 cases. Includes consignments from QLD to southern markets.
14May41: Banana Stats. Big increases
31Jul41: Consignments to southern markets with QLD production = 1,481,226 cases. 1,235,662 previous year and 1,259,808 for year ended 30Jun39.
31Jul41: All time record banana production. Prices during the past year have been reasonably good and it has been unofficially estimated that the record output has been worth approximately £750,000 to State banana growers. The greatest proportional increase was from the Brunswick district which rose from 179,409 and 231,506 for 1939 and 1940 respectively to the new high peak of 328,506 cases. 1,294,133 cases to 30Jun. Previous record 1,259,779 to 30Jun36. With QLD production = 1,481,226 cases to southern markets. 30Jun40 = 1,235,662 cases. 30Jun39 = 1,259,808 cases. State consignments increased by 216,730 cases compared to 250,630 cases 30Jun39.
Tweed = 418,890 cases (324,713 previous year
Bruns = 325,506 cases ( 179,409 in 1939 and 231,506 in 1940
Richmond: 224,010 cases (202,320 1940
Coffs 304,372 (277,060 in 1940, 303,065 in 1939
Sydney market absorbed 696,585 cases = 47.02%
Weekly average consignment = 28,485 cases (23,763 in 1940 and 24,227 in 1939
QLD production 187,113 cases (157,279 in 1940 and 216,325 in 1939) = 12% of total Aust production
QLD bananas loaded Murbah 18,335 cases (42,703 in 1940 and 39,391 in 1939
1Aug41: Richmond for Dec39 = £16,000 for 45,000 cases. Dec40 = £2000 return for 57,000 cases.
5Aug41: 15% of banana acreage in NSW owned by aliens. 66% of new acreage planted out in Richmond in last year was by aliens. Industry was over-planted by 2000 acres. BGF had paid £100,000 into state coffers in the last year for railway freight charges. Last year NSW produced 1,300,000 cases from 13,790 bearing acres. BGF spent £50,000 on eradication of bunchy top. Season just ended 19,598 acres under cultivation from which BGF marketed 1,290,000 cases. + 187,000 cases from QLD. 240,000 increase on last year.
22Nov41: BGF net profit £11,997. £4900 paid out in bonuses to growers. Net profit 1939/49 = £ 6344. (1d. per case for shareholders and 1/2d. per case for non shareholders)
Total NSW production to 30Jun41 = 1,294,113 cases = 188,815 from Qld. Total 1,482,028 = 242,102 over 1940.

1941/42

Note: No planting permits given to enemy aliens during the season.
25Apr42: Banana stats.
9Oct42: 9,700 acres of bananas in QLD.
25Jan43: Total production NSW, including 15,000 cases from QLD forwarded by BGF, was 1,411,221 cases. QLD consignments to the South = 120,949, making grand total of 1,532,170, or 49,232, more than in previous year.
10May43: Production for 9mths to 1Apr43 was 100,000 cases less than corresponding period last year.
11Jun43: Replacing standard 1½ bushel case with a 1bushel case discussed but rejected.

1942/43

25Jan43: Total production NSW, including 15,000 cases from QLD, was 1,411,221 cases. QLD consignments to the South = 120,949, making grand total of 1,532,170, or 49,232, more than in previous year. Area under bananas 1Apr42 was 17,236 acres, 1288 less than in the previous year. Loss of £2319 on sawmills
10May43: Banana Stats. Production for 9mths to 1Apr43 = 100,000 cases fewer than corresponding period 1942. Labour shortage.
22Sep43: Worst fire in 20yrs wipes out thousands of £s worth of bananas Tallebudgera
23Nov43; banana loadings beginning to increase but still considerably lower than last year. 92,000 cases Sep42 to 107,000 Nov42 and 136,000 in Dec followed by record high of 180,000 in Jan43. This Sep43 = 59,000.
10Dec43: NSW production to 30Jun43 = 1,294,295 cases + 73,730 from QLD. Decrease of 164,145 previous year. BGF transported 1,305,148 cases, including 10,853 from QLD. Decrease in BGF nett profit from £6561 in 41/42 to £6023
13Jan44: Talk of price fixing bananas. Retail price running away.
15May44: Since the war wages and salaries of the Federation staff had risen by £4300, bunchy top control now cost about 3 and a half d. per case, which meant £6000 a year, losses over the past 5 mths amounted to £3000. But had stored £10000 worth of cases.
20May44: Production for year ending 30 June next will be about 950,000 cases, a decrease of approx 340,000 compared to year ended 30Jun43, in which 1,294,295 cases produced. Production lowest since 1937/38 when 912,230 cases produced. Total acreage to 31Mar44 was 15,933. A decrease of 253 acres compared with 31mar43. Lowest since 1939 when total was 15808. State peak was 22,289 in 1934. twelve months ended 31Mar44 new acreage was 1536 – double new acreage of last year. Labour shortage major reason. Area in Tweed decreased by 237 acres and Coffs by 142. Brunswick increase by 64, Richmond by 43 and Clarence by 19.. Bruns now just 360 acres behind Tweed. Tweed growers 603 and Bruns 555. Richmond has 2656 acres and 478 growers, Coffs 2772 acres and 297 growers. Total commercial growers (1acre or more) = 2119. Just over half in Bruns and Tweed. 1725 growers on 1acre minus.
20Oct44: production exceeds 2m bushels, worth over £2m, of which £170,000 was paid to the railways, £125,000 to sawmillers and £72,000 to carriers. On Richmond there were 454 growers on 2588 acres? – over 325,000 bushels, worth over £325,000. A peak price of 60/- a case (up to 73/- a case just prior to prices being pegged)
1Nov44: Bunchy top represents 4d. a case. Now costs £12000/yr
30Nov44: Total production to 30Jun44 = 931,788 cases excluding 9286 from QLD loaded at Murbah. Represents state decrease of 362,507 to southern markets. QLD consignments to southern markets = 36,274 made up of 26988 cases by COD and 9288 cases loaded Murbah. Combined = 968062 on southern markets, aggregate decrease of 399963 cases. Acreage to 31Mar44 = 15932.
16Feb45: Price fixed at 5 ¾ d. per case wholesale. Production drops from 90 to 65 cases per acre.

1944/45

14May45: As at 31Mar45 18238 acres. 3463 new plantings, 1113 destroyed.  Commercial growers 2564. one acre or less 1441.
Tweed: 5463 acres and 742 commercial growers 1171 new plantings and 379 destroyed. 792 increase on last year.
Brunswick: 4982 acres and 690 growers. New plantings 927. destroyed 222. increase 704.
Richmond: 3093 acres and 572 growers. New 728 and destroyed 282
Coffs –Woolgoolga: 2933 acres and 338 growers. New 288 destroyed 129. increase 159.
Macksville –Kempsey- Port Macquarie: 1567 acres and 172 growers. 247 new and 79 destroyed.
Clarence: 198 acres and 50 growers. New 100 and 19 destroyed.
Production increase anticipated to be 45000 to 50000 by 30Jun45 and 60000 to 100000 by 30Jun46. Excluding QLD.
Growers urged to stop trying to look after large areas and concentrate on smaller.
14Dec45: As at 31Mar45 QLD had 10,310 acres under production. 2,704 acres planted and 1821 destroyed. = 28548 acres combined with NSW

1945/46

20Apr46: Total Aust production 1934 = 1,486,127 from 23,923 acres; 1935 = 1,873,914 cases from 27,558 acres; 1936 = 2,003,267 cases from 31,577 acres. Now 27,000 acres NSW and QLD
20Apr46: Banana Stats. Now 27,000 acres NSW and QLD.
21May46: Increase in both states was 5933 acres. Absorption capacity of Aust markets = 1,900,000 cases
2Dec46: In the glut year of 34-35 wages were 10d. to 1/1 an hour when there were 18,613 acres under production. Now the producing acreage is 17,136.
23Dec46: BGF AGM. 1,347,993 cases produced NSW . Excludes 11,726 cases loaded Murbah. State increase = 325,203 cases. QLD consignments to southern markets = 117,696 = 105,970 by COD trains and 11,726 loaded Murbah. Combined = 1,465,689 = increase of 399,078 cases. BGF also handled 608,857 ‘packages of other description’. Two sawmills sold during year. One purchaser guarantees to supply 5000 cases per week.
22Apr47: Byron Bay BGF branch formed. Wholesalers Sydney market charging 8d/lb rather than fixed 6 and a quarter d./lb
19May47: Banana industry brought £750,000 to the Tweed last year. Dairy farms selling for £3 to £4 per acre for banana land.?

1946/47

Jan47: Over 60% Aust bananas grown Northern Rivers
2/4Jul47: Clashes at markets following lifting of price controls
13Jul47: Banana production this financial year expected to reach 1,820,00 new-type cases. Highest production on record = 1,395,403 tropical cases = 1,674,486 new-type cases in 1941/42. Record bearing acreage at present = 20,405. Another 4333 acres would begin to cut next March. Previous highest acreage 1934 = 22,289
18Aug47: BGF worried about rivals in banana transport industry.
21Nov47: Byron Bay-Goonengerry granted a total of 3 delegates to the BVD council.
1Dec47: Bananas ‘King’ Industry of Tweed-Brunswick Last Year. Comparison with other industries. BGF's two mills produced 115,058 cases for a net profit of £219. 1,423,911 cases at average of 30/- = £2,135,866.
1Dec47: 1,144,848 cases from NSW and QLD to southern markets for 1946/47
10Jan48: Market authorities and growers expect £2million net return from the industry, of which Queensland’s share will be about £500,000. …The 1935-36 peak crop was worth only £600,000 at an average of 6/- a case, but this season’s crop would be worth £1 a case.
10Feb48: 13,696 acres under bananas 1946/47 QLD, of which 2808 planted that year.
21Feb48: another set of differing historical production, for ‘old cases’ or ‘tropical cases’. Add one sixth for ‘new type cases’.
20Mar48: RSL takes lead in limiting banana acreage.

1947/48

21Feb/1Jun48: Record area under bananas. Historical Stats. Plus record for CSR.
22Jun48: Worst cyclone ever experienced on north coast. Estimated 130,000 cases lost. (Tweed 70,000, Bruns 30,000, and the rest 30,000). Considerable losses Main Arm.
21Jul48: QLD growers reject Quota system. The 2 states produced a combined 1,800,000 cases 1947 from 38,500 acres.
28Jul48: NSW growers vote to approve planting ban and quota system 1331 to 756.
4Aug48: Rules for Quota system. Aiming for 18/- to 30/- per case. Quota to apply for 2 weeks after min price kicks in.
6Aug48: Racket going on. Low prices not being passed onto consumer.
1Sep48: Increase in BGF board members.
8Sep48: BGF sawmill Wilsons Creek suffers £1000 fire damage
11Sep48: Record year for NORCO. Turnover to 30Jun48 = £3mil. 6169 tons of butter generates £1,518,224 to suppliers.
15Oct48: Record £2mil last year from Tweed primary industries. Dairying over £1mil (2000tons of butter and 62 tons of cheese. Butter returned 24.6d/lb with subsidy) Bananas £740,000. Cane £88,500(59,000 ton crush by Condong mill returned £1/10/- per ton to grower, but expenses ate up 10/-. Veges 69,957 cases.
20Nov48: Terranora grower gets 7/9d return for 34 cases = 2.5d/case.
18Dec48: £10,000 to be paid to BGF shareholders. J.J. Murphy of Coffs elected Chairman of BGF. Roy Armstrong, Chairman for last 8yrs did not stand.
20Dec48: BGF profit to 30Jun48 = £21,128 - £16,000 more than last year. Sawmill profit = £2213 - £318 last year and a loss 3yrs ago. Turnover = £115,583. 1944 = £51,081. 2,589,832 packages transported by BGF. 1947= 2,075,492. Output of the 2 BGF sawmills = 148,238 cases.
23Dec48: COD = Committee of Direction of Fruit Marketing QLD
24Dec48: Dairying soon an old mans industry… farms going out of production due sons going elsewhere.
9Jan49: BGD (BaGro Distributors) rivals to BGF
9Jan49: 52,015 cases marketed from West Burleigh 1948 (26,305 Brisbane and 25,690 interstate) = 1/6 of QLD production. 1947, 75% of West Burleigh marketed Brisbane. Reduced to 50% 1948.
15Feb49: 100 unskilled labourers out of work Murbah- twice no. same time last yr. Decline in banana chipping work.
26Feb49: £1 shares in BGF worth £14/12/3, with asset backing of £24,185 in 1940, now worth £54/15/- with asset growth
30Mar49: Banana production QLD only 1/5^th of NSW output 47/48. NSW = 2,327,833cases. QLD = 585,895. Combined total = record high and 165,000 cases more than previous year. ??

1948/49

9Apr49: QLD South Coast is QLD’s leading production center. Year ended 31Mar49 Currumbin produces 57,000 cases + West Burleigh produces 58,000 = 144,000 bushells = ¼ of QLD production.
28Apr49: Banana stats. 26,375 acres. 3672 destroyed and 1221 planted. Banana output of 2mil cases expected
21May49: Growers losing control of BGF.
14Sep49: QLD banana acreage down. 31Mar49 = 2000acres less than last year.
23Sep49: more bananas transported from Murbah to southern markets to Jun 49 (525,063) than peak year of 35-36 (610,000). 1947/48 505,473 cases railed. BGF transported 1,723,749 cases from all areas compared to 1,835,798 last year. Avocados dropped from 111boxes to 23 boxes. Plus stats on other fruit.
18Nov49: Suggestion that NSW BGF should amalgamate with QLD COD
21Nov49: Grower Apathy.
28Nov49: Profit of £12000 by BGF last year. Total production for year = 1,701,761 cases = decrease of 115,740 cases. Combined total with QLD = 1,912,638 = aggregate decrease of 81,714
28Jan50: BGF applies quota system.

1950/51

19May50: 26198 acres under bananas1950. 27395 in 1949. Despite reduction expect 2.5million bushel cases to be produced by Jun50. Banana acreage north coast 1Apr50:
Tweed 7412 acres (7959 in 1949)
Bruns 6978 (-56)
Richmond 5071 (-508)
Clarence 392 (+8)
Coffs and Woolgoolga 395 (-117)
Macksville, Kempsey, Port Mac 2395 (+23)
Growers with an average 6acres of banana land = 4303
With less than I acre = 2255. Total acreage = 206
29Jun50: Cyclone last weekend destroyed 123,000 cases of bananas Tweed (59,000), Bruns (36,000) and Richmond (28,000). Not as severe 1948: 130,000 on Tweed and 300,000 on nth coast.
2Mar51: BGF Board coming under fire. Ditto 7Jul51
12Apr51. Full employment and shortage of banana labourers, but growers still only paying 2/6 to 3/3 per hour. New Australians preferring city. £200 to establish a plantation.
14Nov51: £20,000 profit to BGF 1950-51
14Nov51: New Wollumbin St Store for BGF Murbah.
26Dec51: Trial of plastic covers for banana covers.
2Mar51: BGF dissention + wartime achievements.
26Jun51 and 14Nov51 = above stats. BGF makes net profit of £20,444. BGF’s timber mill Wilson’s Crk out of action and only Barker’s Vale mill producing cases

1951/52

28Jun52 and 2Dec52: Above Stats. BGF profit of £20,947

1952/53