ONION BOYCOTT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19997, 24 July 1939, Page 7

ONION BOYCOTT

“ILLOGICAL ATTITUDE’ 7 DIRECTOR’S EXPLANATION SUPPLIES FROM JAPAN G OVURNMENT CONTRACT (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. The necessity for the importation of onions this year to ensure adequate supplies for consumers was explained by the Director of Internal Marketing, Mr. F. Pico’, in a statement to the Evening Post. He said that there seemed to be considerable misunderstanding about the position. Even best quality New Zealand onions would not keep right through the year, and it was essential to import onions at this ‘time to meet the demand .for wihat was- looked' upon as an essential winter foodstuff, and, in some quarters, as a, medicinal stand-by.

Local supplies usually last until July or August, and (there is a gap between .the end of the New Zealand season and the beginning of the supply from Canada and California, from which countries the bulk of New Zealand imports are drawn. On account of the drought and bush fires in Australia in the early part of the year, the Victorian onion crop, which generally was n big one, was almost a complete failure and shipments had been made from New Zealand to help meet the Australian shortage. It was necessary, ' therefore, to make early arrangements to meet the anticipated between-seasons shortage, and many months ago, long before (there was any tension between Japan and Great Britain, the Marketing Division made arrangements to import a ‘smalt quantity of Japanese onions, which were the only suitable supply available at the right period. Disservice to Community The position was that New Zealand had entered into ,a contract, and 1 toe was sure that the average New Zealand citizen would 1 not wish this country to be a party to a breach of any contract entered into in good 1 faith, unless with the approval of both parties. It was, therefore, particularly desirable that wholesalers, retailers, and consumers should not take up the illogical position of refusing to handle these onions while they were, at fihe same time, selling or using many household articles produced in Japan, such as silk stockings, oak furniture, tinned salmon, cotton piece-goods, and so on, to mention but a few.

For many years Chinese fruiterers have refused to handle Japanese goods, and their attitude Iras been entirely understood by the general public, but in the present case wholesalers and retailers would be doing a disservice to the community if they in any way held, up the distribution of this important winter commodity, which it should be clearly understood had been, for some time the property of the New Zealand Government.

Japanese onions were of excellent quality pud food value, and should be in much demand toy housewives during these extremely cold months of the year.