SURPLUS POTATOES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24410, 23 September 1940, Page 11

SURPLUS POTATOES

OFFER TO WAIMATE GROWERS (Special to Daily Times) WAIMATE, Sept. 22. A proposal bv which the present surplus of potatoes in Canterbury could be manufactured into starch for subsequent conversion into other by-products, was detailed to a meeting of- Waimate growers on Saturday night. Mr E. T. Cox said it would be possible to have the plant operating within a fortnight, and the question was to ascertain just how many tons would be available. North Canterbury potato growers had given sufficient practical support to get the scheme under way. and work would proceed if not a single potato came from Waimate. The offer made to growers was that they should supply their potatoes for processing along with a cash payment of 10s a ton. The whole scheme would be operated on a " pool " system, and after the potatoes were converted into starch the. growers would ultimately receive £3 a ton from the " po.ol," in addition to the repayment of their 10s. Further, as it was proposed to set up a company to take over the plant purchased and the starch extracted by the " pool," growers would be entitled to free shares to the amount of the payment made for the processing. The " pool" could obtain a lease of the Southern Cross Glassworks building at Ashburton to convert the potatoes into starch.