POTATOES £20 A TON.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1103, 17 April 1911, Page 8

POTATOES £20 A TON.

LOOKING FOR CLEAN SEED. News by inail from -Western Australia indicates that ■.■ there .will ■. probably ■be a potato famine there. Tho Minister for Agriculture, Mr. Mitchell, has refused to withdraw the embargo on the importation of potatoes to the south-western district of tho State. In reply to a deputation, representing consumers, he said he recognised that .£2O per ton was a prohibitive price, but lie would recommend the paying of a lusher price for a year or two and restricting, the consumption, so that in future tho public may obtain cheaper and sounder locally-grown potatoes. He could not see h,tf\v imported potatoes could bo got through by rail to the goldfields without danger to the State. . The members of the deputation said the shipments recently condemned were not blight-infected but had gone bad because they had been dug too soon. They pointed out the West Australian total crop was 6000 tons, and consumption 17,000 tons, and all the present crops would ba needed for. seed. . , •.■■.. The Minister replied that he was negotiating with'the'Federal'authorities for tho importation of seed from England.