TOMATO GROWERS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 706, 4 July 1929, Page 10

TOMATO GROWERS

REGISTRATION WANTED MINISTER SYMPATHETIC (TTIE SUN’S Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. Claiming that the compulsory registration of all commercial tomatogrowers was the first step toward placing the industry on a sound basis, a representative deputation waited upon the Minister of Lands and Agriculture, the Hon. G. W. Forbes, yesterday to ask that the necessary legislation be introduced this session of Parliament.

The Minister of Education, the Hon. H. Atmore, said that the tomatogrowers had the same right to registration as other producers. If the proposal were given effect to. then there would be only the question of devising an equitable scheme to be considered. He did not think that any objection to registration would be raised. Other speakers, including several members of Parliament, stressed the reasonableness of the request. The Minister, in replying, said that the Government was not in favour of compulsory legislation in regard to marketing. He would like an assurance that the proposal was not a step in that direction. Voices: Oh, no. The Minister: Well, if the grower is left to do his own business, lean see no objection to your request. While he could not promise that legislation would be placed before Parliament, he would make it his business to frame a Bill which in due course would be submitted to the Agricultural Committee of the J-lo Lise, when objections, if any, would be heard. If it were found that a workable measure could be placed on the Statute Book, then he could not see any difficulty in the way of Parliament.