"COSTLY EXPERIMENT"

Chronicle (Levin), 14 October 1946, Page 8

"COSTLY EXPERIMENT"

— Press Association

STATE VEGETABLE SCHEME

By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON, Oct. 12. The States' venture into the field of vegetable production in competition with eommercial growers was strongly criticised in the House of Rdpreseutatives yesterdav during the discussion of the iSupplementary Estimates. It was claimed that comniercial growers in the v\ar years could have met the demand by the Eorces, but instead the State had embarked on an experiment which would cost the country £500,(J00. The critieism was prouipted by an item of £8500 for Services vegetable production, in addition to £14,500 provided in the main Estimates. A note to the item said that winding-up operations had necessitated additionat. costs. Mr. W. ,1. Polson (Stratford) said the 'fuuctiou of the grower had been usurped on tlie principle that the State could do better. Had the Govermnent ./een reasonably generous to the growers there would have been an imiuediate response, but the willing growers were diseouraged and dealt a serious blow. The resuit had been a huge loss to the community and complete dislo.•ation at the end. The House was now .iold that it was due to war conditions, but war or no war it should never have happened. It was the wrong way to tnekle production and it was removiug .he incentive of private profit. Mr. W. Goosman (Waikato).: Another t'ailure of Socialism. The Dlinister of Finance' (Mr. Nash) said there had been losses, but he did not knovv to vvhat extent. 'The iinportant point was, could any private enterprise organisation have had its market completelv cut olf and still make «i profit? The Amerieans in the Pacific had told the Government virtually overnight, that no more vegetaliles were wanted. Much of the land used was in vegetables for the lirst time and a start had to be made in putting it baek into otfier production. War circumstances inevitably brought losses. Mr. J. N. Massey (Franklin) said that an arrangement had been made in the early stages of the war with- the eommercial growers to produce vegetables at contract rates. He aeted as go-between with War Cabinet and the growers, and an additional 1000 acres could have been planted.^ The growers stood up to their side of the contract, but the Government cancelled it and said it was going to try to carrv out an experiment. That experiment — the figures Avould possiblv be available nexi vear — cost the count-ry half a million in money.