POTATO STOCKS LOW

Southland Times, Issue 24821, 13 August 1942, Page 4

POTATO STOCKS LOW

Drastic Cut In Consumption

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, August 12. A survey of potato stocks throughout the Dominion, has revealed that the supply is wholly inadequate to meet the demands of the armed forces and the civil population during the. next three months and accordingly drastic measures to curtail consumption are necessary. In making this announcement the Minister of Supply, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, said the present position had developed partly as a result of the comparative failure of North Island crops in the early part of the year. This necessitated drawing on the South Island crop some six weeks to two months earlier than usual. On top of this the requirements of the armed forces became greater than anticipated. When this became apparent. efforts were made to purchase potatoes in various other countries, but conditions everywhere were found to be similar to those in New Zealand. Australia, for instance, had already approached New Zealand with a view, to obtaining supplies from this Dominion to overcome a complete shortage of supplies in the Commonwealth.

SUPPLIES TO BE APPORTIONED The Minister said he could assure the public that no effort would be spared to procure supplies from overseas, but unfortunately, even if a source of supply could be found, the Government could not for obvious reasons take, such quantities into its calculations until the shipments had actually been landed in New Zealand. The only.jiourse, therefore, open to meet the situation was to apportion the available supplies as equitably as possible between the armed forces and such essential services as public and private hospitals, old people’s homes and other institutions. Under this arrangement the ration to the armed forces would have to be cut very drastically, as it was only by that means that limited supplies could be made available to the civilian services mentioned.

With a view to avoiding a recurrence of the present position next year, the Government was planning for increased production in 1943, and this necessitated the diversion of a substantial quantity of table potatoes to seed purposes, further accentuating the problem. The Minister urged the public to utilize any table potatoes for home garden crops and also to economize by cooking potatoes “in their jackets.”