STATE AID SOUGHT

Hokitika Guardian, 28 July 1932, Page 4

STATE AID SOUGHT

BY DOMINION BEEKEEPERS

: AT ANNUAL CONFERENCE, (Per Press Association— Copyriyhi.) \ Wellington,. July 27; Reference to the problems of marketing, confronting honey producers,’; was made by Mr P. A. Hillary, of Tuakau, President, in opening the riuieteeawr conference of the National. Beekeepers’ _.,-i oeiiation of New Zealarid.’,4 ; . He doult with overseas;[.and ; local markets, and sp.^ke,of the,yfaijure ,of competitive open jpiarketing;• which, he-? ski'd, .was eo .'^eriornslj beekeepers were almost,, unaniiii9ps/.[iP' the deterniination to •organise . marketing .on a sound economic line, and endeavour to',?stabilise pr.cos at reasonably payable level ;■ . , ■ , He said that the economic position had .improved as the result of the shortage of th e crop last season. -Next season should open without any- carryover, and only enough honey overseas to last .until the looi crop arrived; in England. . The following, resolution, by Mr ,R. Hi Nelson (Otorohanga) was carried, unanimously.;' That this conference •of h'lyey jproducersMexpresses its ;comp’.ete confidence in the Export- Marketing Board, and .we: call upon the Board to exercise* ;its 'fullpowera/provided by the Act; ?.to - protect our over. ’Seas market; iJpk) 1 . A deputation subsequently waited bn the Minister >of Agriculture and plaecd before him' the' view* of the conference on marketing questions. r ' cV:; Fear* that certain interests vond bring pressure to bear upon the Gov.

ernment to secur e the abolition ornirtaiilment of the powers of th? llcirty

Export 'Control Board were cypres eJ by a deputation from the. Beekeepers* ■Association which waited on thj Minister of Agriculture to-day. Agree-

ment with the policy being followed

by/the, Board was expressed by . the speakers and the Minister gave an assurance that he wou’d watch the in-

tei\rts of ;the producers.' Th e Minister said he did not think .they:had reached the stage where they, were ;discu.vsing the abolition of th e Board. ‘‘The Department’s reports bear out what you say with regard/to your priefes,” he .said, “but the Department' sug-l

gusts the*-e prices- were obtained by, at) expensive method. A total of £45,000 was spent in advertising. That would not be much if you had plenty of goods to sell, but when you haye only £50,000 worth, for the °ake of . argu- ' ment, it would be too expensive. I realise you have. o'tabliished a good name in the Old Country, and your, advertising charges... cap ,npw a x^ 7 ,. duced' M' The Director-General of Agriculture,. Mr Reakes, said Mr Butland, a men)-, ber of the Board, waa at present .i.n London, and he going cloaely into that question with the agents, The Minister • said the producers could rest assured, that, as far ftp. be. was concerned, he would do everything to. help them to retain . the good wJU and trade mark they had estab-1 lishe’d Great Britain, If the Board were functioning (Satisfactorily for the producers, it could not be ae bad ca some made out, .. . J; ... r

Approval of the principle of granting a rebate of duty on imports of sugar purchased by honey ~ producers solely for the purpose of feeding it to bees, was’ expressed by the . Minister of Agriculture in reply to represents-/ tions in this direction madb to him,by.' i a deputation from the National Beekeepers’ Association. V ' • ,

Mr E: W. f*ge emphasised .the .vitalnecessity for beekeepers to secure some concession on their supplies of sugar. Some producers .obtained, from i: 12 to-*ls tons of sugar , in a, season for the maintenance of their bees. ’

Mr W. Watson said It was very ’necessary in the drought-stricken areas of the South Island; to feed sugar to bees.

The‘‘Government, had' helped, farmed by free carriage' of lime, by fertiliser subsidies and by carrying stock and feed during times of drought. Bee- . keepers were in the eam 6 position.' The Minister said he sympathised with the request, but he did riot know w’ha’t (t/he Minister pf Customs .' arid Financ e thought about itl The prin- . ciple had already been ; established by remissions of petrol taxation, and the principle was operating on butter box imports. It would be difficult to draw up regulations for the remission of duty on sugar, because it would be im- . possible to define what was used for the production of honey and what was used in other ways. It would be accepted that the principle war> a sound one. Material brought into the country to aid production should b 6 sold as cheaply as possible. 9 Mr that he; would do his best to secure the rebate sought. It would, have to go before the.,.Government. . ,p' r .... ’’ Remits were carried requesting ..that sugar, be supplied duty free when used for feeding bees i:n bad winter ~ season’., .and. also asking the Government ~ to maintain the number and status of, inspectors, and to reinstate the parttime inspection system as soon as ,pos- , sible. ; ...