RE HONEY CONTROL BOARD.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 August 1926, Page 4

RE HONEY CONTROL BOARD.

The Minister of Agriculture, Wellington. Sir, —T wish to draw your attention to the operations of the above board which threaten to cripple the industry. Appended you will find a list of charges on CO cases of New Zealand Honey which I shipped to London in 1924; these charges average 9s lOd per , ease front the grade store to London. When I applied to the Control Board for a permit to ship -12 cases of N.Z. honey in 1925 (although. 1 had a threeyears’ contract to supply Messrs Alountstcplicn. Speed and Co., with the season's output, only one season’s honey had been shipped) they declined and compelled me to ship the lot to .Messrs A. J. A!ills and Co., London. The hitter firm’s charges averaged £L Is 7d per case against 9s lOd when [ did my own exporting. The Control Board acted as tliogli they possessed absolute control, but bad the charges been anything like what they were the previous year nothing would have been said, although one would naturally expect the charges under control to ho less than formerly. It is unfortunate that the "three men on the Control Board are also Directors of the Honey Producers’ Association. This Association has never zeen a financial success, and it would be advisable for at least the representative of the Government to be a coinmercally trained man. an exporter of experience, rather than either a beekeeper or a in rector of the H.P.A. T have noted recently that tb.e price of N.Z. honey on the London market has been omitted from the cabled report of the High Commissioner. Have we to credit the Control Board for keeping this information from producers? In December, 1921. N.Z. lioncy was quoted at—White 80s to 92s per cwt. Light amber 00s to 72s per cwt.. and I would be obliged if you could tell me what white honey was quoted at in October. 1925. when my 42 cases were sold by A. J. Mills and Co. The charges deducted by A. J. Mills and Co., 011 these 42 cases amounts to £45 Os 4d, that is from grade store to London. One item is. for advertising amounting to £2O 19s 4d, and when I showed these figure? to your colleague, Mr McLeod, in Hokitika, lie used the one word—dastardly. Mr Seddon lias also seen these figures in the original documents and be-can vouch for their accuracy. AYlion T tell you that the cost of landing these 42 eases into Grade Store ruiis into £25 17s Gd and the assistant’s wages for twelve weeks during the extracting season takes another £24 you can easily sec that this advertising charge of 10s per ease, just about cripples the industry. My cheque from A. J. ALUs aniount- ! od to £123 3s Id but T have since received an account for freight .£ll 4s 1 sd. which they had omitted from my account sales, bringing the nett amount to £lll 13s Bd. The total cost of placing'these 42 cases on the, London market for sale amounts to £95 3s lOd, leaving me with £lO 14s lOd for twelve months work in an apiary of 70 colonies. J used to think that control would reduce marketing costs but if this is the best that the men on the Control Board can do, the sooner they make J room for better men it will be all the better for you'. I have a letter from A. J. A!ills in reply to mine objecting to them deducting £2O 19s 4d for advertising, in which they say that they have instructions from ihe Control Board to do so. When’the H.P.A. engineered the formation of the Control Board we had no idea that wo would he asked to contribute one penny in the ib for advertising and one wonders if this goes to the H.P.A. In the event of the Honey Control Board wanting absolute control the information contained herein would tempt you to refuse: allowing producers with just cause for complaint to export direct. If an exporter ean show that he can place his honey on the London market costing an average of 9s 10c! per case and the Control Board take £1 Is 7cl per ease I consider that you would be quite justified in giving an exporter aj permit to do so. I intend to have this information printed and circulated amongst other producers so would be pleased to have an carlv reply. (Sgd.) JOHN AIURDOCH. Ross, March 12tli.