“GROWERS DELUDED”

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 3 September 1942, Page 4

“GROWERS DELUDED”

MINISTER’S PROMISE ABOUT NEW POTATOES COMMENT IN AUCKLAND Auckland. Sept. 2. : While strong criticism was expressed : in some quarters of another reversal of i policy involving what they alleged was a breach of faith on the part of the Government, persons concerned in the marketing of potatoes, commenting last night on the fixation of prices of new potatoes, stated that, apart from doing serious injury to the few' growers who specialised in extra-early crops, it would have very little effect as far as the general public was concerned. Auctioneering interests were little perturbed by the new regulation, which they said, would merely add slightly to the confusion caused by other recent Government attempts to deal with the : vegetable supply problem. Like pre i vious attempts, the new decision was about six months too late to be fair to the growers. Growers who specialised in extra \ early crops had. it' was stated, been completely deluded by the Minister of ! Agriculture. In a statement on potato

prices made on 21st July, Mr J. G. Barclay had clearly stated that prices for immature potatoes delivered prior to Ist October would be left free, with control operating after Ist October at between £3O and £35 a ton. New potatoes were realising from lOd to 2s 74d per lb at auction in Auckland on Ist September, the average price being about Is 3d per lb, equivalent to £l4O a ton. Now they are to be reduced to a maximum of £42 10s a ton. That new potatoes would probably go right off the market in the meantime was the general opinion, because the difference between the newly-announced price for September and the previously announced price for October was so little that growers would prefer to leave the crops in the ground and take the advantage of the increase in weight during the extra weeks of growth. The Is 6d per b which was the average wholesale price for new potatoes last week was equal to £l6B a ton, compared with the highest permitted wholesale price in England this year of £3l ss. A spokesman lor the retail trade said that, in the light of that comparison, the situation in New Zealand had obviously been getting out of hand.