Auckland Facing Potato Shortage

Chronicle (Levin), 10 August 1949, Page 6

Auckland Facing Potato Shortage

— AUCKLAND, August 9. Stocks of potatoes on liand* and immediately in sight for Auckland, are Less than suffieient for a week or 10 days. Retailers are already clamouring for supplies but regardless of the possibility of more serious wharf delays, representatives • of the wholesale produce trade said today that there was prospect of a serious shortage. Recent potato distributions have been substantially below the 12,000 or 15,000 bags normally han^lled by Auckland merchants. The seeretary of the Auckland Seed, Grain'and Produce Merchants' Association, Mr R. C. Haszard, said today that last year there had been a plentiful supply of main erop potatoes and eonsumer requirements had been well satisfied. During the winter and spring, however, it had cost the country a largu snm of money for the surplus which could not be used and for which growers reeeived the Government's guaranteed priee. This year the main crop yieid per acre was light although approximately the same area had been planted. It had become obvious that potatoes would be scare in the eariy ■spring but so far the cause appeared to be the shipping hold-up rather than the light crop. "It is not our place t'o say who is to blame but we think if is time the retailers and public were told of the wholesalers ' difflculties, " Mr Haszard continued. ' ' Months ago the wholesalers made the best possible provision by purchasing suffieient South Island potatoes to meet Auckland 's winter de-^ mand but envisaged a shortage in eariy spring. Unfortunately, the potatoes have lain in ships in Auckland harbuur for weeks at a time when they should have been distributed while in good order. "