POTATOES FOR ARMY

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 263, 5 August 1942, Page 6

POTATOES FOR ARMY

Christchurch Plan To Use City Land A Christchurch committee aims at the utilizing of hundreds of acres of idle land in the city for the growing of potatoes for the Army. So far it has been given 90 acres for this use for the duration of the war. Mr. T. Hawkes, a member of the committee, stated in an interview that he considered that the estimated monetary value of the scheme to the war effort would be £3OOO. Seventy of the 90 acres of which the use had been granted were suitable at present for returning a good yield. The .land donations in themselves represented a substantial offer. On a lease basis at the present time £6 an acre wouid be a fair assessment. In one year that represented a donation, of £6OO, while Ju some cases the land’s earning capacity from crops was additional. The International Harvester Company had offered to provide free all the labour, equipment, fuel and oil. The labour came from men who were kept on the pay roll by the company for harvester, threshing and combine work. “If the committee succeeds in getting six tons of potatoes to the acre, that would amount to a return of £4500 on the average price of £7/10/- a ton over April, May, and June next,” said Mr. Hawkes. From that return would have to be deducted £l3OO for seed potatoes, and £2OO for fertilizer, both of which had been guaranteed by the Department of Agriculture. That meant a cash donation in table potatoes of £3OOO on the very low basis of six tons to the acre. *