VEGETABLE SELLING BY STATE

Chronicle (Levin), 7 March 1946, Page 6

VEGETABLE SELLING BY STATE

I Growers bclieve that the State will 1 euter , tlie vegctable selJing l^usiiiess. i They ' believe the Govcrmuent intends , lu eoutinue Lhc contract growing sys- , tem of the war years, and that this ' system will be iised to foree down , prices, giving the public eheajier vegetables. Kumours among growers reached sueh proportions that the exeeutive , of Ihe Dominiou Couueil of CommerciaJ Gardeners, together with the growers' representative on tlie Yegetabie Marketing Advisory Committee, approached 1 tlie ALinister of Marketing, Mr. Koberts. j lliis deputation asked the Miuister that if he had plans to alter the mar1 keting systeni, they should be withheld until the growers had been given time to eonsider them. It is now understood that the growers have been asked to submit their proposais for alteruative systems. ^ The contract system by which the Governiuent bought pcrishable vegeLaules from the growers was introdueed uy Ihe Governiuent after the stabilisation system was established in 1943. Altliough it was planned for the su^jply of vegetables for civil and military use it was actually jiut into foree only in eertain areas and for certaiu vegetables, for the x^.rmed Eorees alone. Some of the Arxuy suxiplios, when military requircmeuts changed, were put on the market aud prices at that timo were aifected to the disadvantage 0. growers. With their whole future -involved. growers at the moment are highly eoneerned, aud . rumours are rife at the markets about the Government's inten tions.