POTATOES CHEAPER.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 129, 14 March 1939, Page 5

POTATOES CHEAPER.

DENIAL OF FLOODING MARKET. RAINS CAUSE HEAVY SUPPLY. (United Press Association—Copyright.) ' SYDNEY! March 13. The wholesale price of best potatoes was reduced by £6 10s a ton in Sydney to-day to £l6. The representative of the Tasmanian Potato Board in Sydney denied a statement that the Tasmanian growers had' flooded the market with the object of choking out the New Zealand growers. He said the chief cause of the heavy shipment had been tlxe heavy 1 rains, which forced the growers to dig their crops so as to avoid losing them., ... ' ‘‘ ' V « ' I GOVERNMENT POLICY NOT KNOWN. SMALLER CROP PREDICTED. CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. No.decision as to whether such"potatoes as are exported to the Australian market shall be handled by pri- x vate firms or by the Internal Market- . ing Department has as yet been taken. Inquiries made in the city yesterday indicated that merchants expected to have a free hand in thie marketing of such supplies as they purchased. No advice has been received from the Government with, regard to its intentions. When Mr F. R. iPicot, director of the Internal Marketing Department, was communicated with last night,, he said that he had no definite informa- ' tion as to what the Government’s intentions were. It was a matter, however, on which a decision would undoubtedly be taken very soon. Support for the opinion expressed by Mr R. McGillivray, fields superintendent of the Department of'Agriculture, that this season’s' crop, according to experimental strikes made in North and Mid-C'anterbury, was likely to be down by 25 per cent, on that of the previous season was given by several growers. The weather during the season was declared to have been most unsuitable for good growth, being too wet at the beginning and too dry at the end. The potatoes were likely to he small, and not of such good lasting qualities as those grown in Tasmania. It appeared that very few, if any, would_be exported within the given period of.four weeks. The potatoes mostly grown iu Tasmania are Brownells, which‘ are noted for their lasting qualities. Tasmanian growers would, therefore, it was said, have everything in. their fayour in any efforts they might have made to see that the Sydn£)> market was not over- ' supplied. ' . '