CANNED VEGETABLES

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

CANNED VEGETABLES

APPEAL FOR GREATER PRODUCTION

LIAISON OIIKI R MELTS PRIMARY PRODUCTION i OUM IL * A meeting of Mu Nelson Primary Production Council was held voterda.v afternoon to meet Captain B V. Cooks icy, liaison officer between tii« Minister o! Primary Production tor War Pur- ; poses. Mr W .1 Poison, and the vegc 1 table growing and canning Industrie* I Matters affecting the production <*f : vegetables and their canning were die ! cussed with representative* of both in I the Government efforts to inciea.-e vegetable production. Mr T H. Robinson, depuf ri.anman of the Council, presided. Captain Cooksley -ad ihat ne i ad been called in bv the Mir:;-fin as prr*.i J dent of the Market Growqr- Associa l lion to help with the production of vegr : tables. His job wa? to contact growers j and canners throughout New Zealand and report back to the. Minister. He 1 wanted to know the real position. i neither false optimism nor pessimism. He explained the need of canned vegetable? both lor home and oversea* use He wanted all the information he could get from the canners. but naturally all this would be kept confidential Similarly, he wanted all the detail.- he could get from growers, and these, too. would not be given to opposition ers. It might be that canneries would be asked to work longer hours. The question of the supply of toma toes was serious. Auckland was a thousand tons short and Kirkpatrick's needed 500 tons more tomatoes. He re fcrred to the need ol bags and the pos sibility of adding a charge for bag for vegetables. There was also a scheme for providing huts lor workers on farms and he wanted members to go into this matter.

PETROL ON NINETY DAY BASIS Captain Cooksley said that grower* were allowed petrol on a monthly basis This caused difficulties, as growe: might have a wet month, when little petrol might be used. The Minister had approached the Commissioner of Transport on the matter and the speaker had received a telegram notifying that petrol for vegetable growing would be allowed on a 90-day basis Referring to the withdrawal of men from the army lor primary production. Captain Cooksley said that the men on the land were generally the best men the Army had so that in taking thaw men out the growers were calling on the best. He appealed to growers to be tolerant and understanding in making appeals for men. j Spraying materials were going to be in short supply, though efforts were being made to get supplies from Australia. A quantity of blood and bone manure had been reserved for vegetable growers and he asked farmers not to begrudge it them. The real problem in New Zealand was not primary produce in general but vegetables ill particular, he emphasised. Captain Cooksley appealed to canning firms to look at things lrom a national point of view, and net to pick the eves out of a contract, taking just what lines paid best. He also asked that growers should honour their contract with canneries. The chairman pointed out to the meeting that there was no time lag in anything referred to Captain Cooksley, as he had direct contact with the Min ister of Primary Production and did ! not have to refer matters to departments first. In » discussion that followed if was pointed out that the great difficulty in regard to pea growing was in ob taining labour for picking A member said he did not think that many growers would take on extra contracts ur. less they were assured of pickers. That was what he had found from talking to about 30 growers in the last few days lie also considered that it did not pay to grow tomatoes just for the factory Mr M. Ott, District Manpower Officer, J said that it might be possible to get children for picking by closing schools it was stated that some growers had found children unsatisfactory and even College boy 3 and girls put on to pick ing peas on the Patriotic Farm were disappointing. Another suggestion was that there might be a pool of labour ot those who were engaged only part time on some farms, so that these could be used full time on different farms. Captain Cooksley said that a labour pool might be a job for the W.W.S.A. .After further discussion on details of the labour positidh a resolution was passed expressing complete agreement with the Minister’s proposals. and | thanking him for sending Captain ; Cooksley round the country as liaison j officer. ! Several members said they had a : much clearer idea now of what was 1 needed by the Government. LARGE QUANTITIES STILL NEEDED POSITION IN NELSON I Figures showing the quantities of vegetables required for canning purposes were given to the Nelson Primary Production Council yesterday afternoon by Captain B. V. Cooksley, who is meeting growers throughout New Zealand as liaison officer for the Min ister of Primary Production for War Purposes. He said that in their contracts Kirkpatrick's factory still required 110 tons of green peas. 500 tons of tomatoes, 500 tons of carrots, 70 tons of parsnips. 43 tons of beetroot, and 67 tons of dried Blue Prussian peas. That was the i position in Nelson alone, he added and | he suggested that growers should see what they could do about it. The i shortage of vegetables was extremely j serious.