POTATO MARKET

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 August 1940, Page 9

POTATO MARKET

POSITION IN CANTERBURY PRICES REMAIN LOW. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, August 24. Efforts are still being made to find an outlet for Canterbury's surplus potatoes. but few of those directly interested are optimistic about securing one. South America has been inquiring for both table and seed potatoes, but the difficulty is to secure freight. Marketing of potatoes was the subject of a conference held in Wellington this week between North and South Island merchants. It was reported in the city today that some of the potatoes sent to Australia had been rejected because of a disease known as silver scurf. When . the report was referred to Mr A. H. Cockayne, Director-General of Agriculture, he said it evidently referred to the first shipment and not the second, which arrived a few days ago. Mr Cockayne said one line was rejected from the first shipment and picked over, but comparatively few of the potatoes were affected. The second shipment, Mr Cockayne said, had arrived in satisfactory condition. Silver Scurf is a skin disease only. The market remains very dull with no improvement on the low prices which have been ruling for the greater part of the seson. Reports from the North Island are that the local crop is more than sufficient to keep the market there supplied, and since it will not be long now before new potatoes are in, there is little prospect of further ..substantial supplies being drawn from Canterbury.