CLEAN POTATOES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 199, 18 May 1920, Page 7

CLEAN POTATOES

_* FROM SOUTHERN PORTS. The controversy'between Canterbury exporters of potatoes and tho port authorities of Sydney J on tho rejection of potatoes shipped to New South Wales from the South Island, has created n good deal of interest locally. In response to an inquiry made yesterday, a Dominion reporter was-' informed that the North Island crops this season had been very badly affected with Might, and those were the potatoes that Wellington had to depend upon until a fortnight ago. The potatoes which had arrived from the south were quite clean, ti», presumably, wero the consignments .which hod been sent to Sydney, otherwise there would he no point in southern shippers arguing the point by cablegram. If the Sydney authorities condemned the lines because there was 'blight in New Zealand, they had plenty to go on, as the North Island potatoes had oil been affected more or less, but to condemn clean lines from the South Island hecause there was blight in Uio North Island seemed fo be unreasonable. It would be noticed that the southern growers were getting together as to. prices, etc, and dou'btless the spirited protest made _ against their potatoes being rejected in Sydney was the action of tho co-operative body, which stood to suffer a considerable loss hy the prohibition.