HONEY CONTROL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 200, 25 August 1933, Page 3

HONEY CONTROL.

BOARD AND ASSOCIATION.

REPLY TO MR. BUTLAND. . i In reply to comment by Mr. J. Rv Butland, chairman of the Honey Export Control Board, Mr. I. Meltzer, secretary of the Beekeepers' Inquiry Committee, states: — , "The Honey Control Board always attempts to dissociate itself from the bankrupt Honey- Producers' Association, for obvious reasons. They cannot avoid the fact, however, that the Honey Producers' Association were the di'ly appointed agents of the board since 192.5, that some of the same personnel of the Control Board and the Honey Producers' Association are now endeavouring to influence the beekeepers to subscribe for shares in a new honey company to be called New Zealand Honey, Ltd., presumably to perpetuate the policy of the defunct Honey Producers' Association, and that the 'board dictated the policy of the company which led to disaster. The board condoned its mistakes, and in all its correspondence with interested parties over a period of eight years the board defended and championed the policy of the company. "If, as Mr. Butland states, the Control Board did not operate until it took absolute control of honey in March last, what have they been doing for the past 8& years, uince the passing of the Honey Export Control Act in 19242 "With reference to my criticism of declining export, I did not 'carefully avoid mentioning season 1933.' ThU season is not yet completed. I made due allowances for seasonal fluctuations. The chairman obviously looks upon the small seasonal increase to 300 tone as a godsend, but the graph of exports i≤ still lying in the doldrums. Will he explain how much of the 300 tons tendered for export this season represents honey supplied by shareholders of the Honey Producers' Association who have been unable to meet their reclamations in cash demanded by the liquidator, and who have been forced by the liquidator to send honey instead of cash? If Mr. Butland includes this honey in the Control Board's total for export, where is the distinction between the activities of the two organisations? Will he explain why New Zealand, with its Control Board, shows a steady decline of exports while Canada, under a free marketing system, has shown a steady increase and made great headway? "Mr. Butland's reference to my not being a producer does not assist his case for the Control Board. I do ( not pose as a producer, but am acting as secretary of the Beekeepers' Inquiry Committee at the request of some of the largest- producers in the Dominion. "The allegation that Mr. Geddes, chairman of the Beekeepers' Inquiry Committee, refused to meet the board, ie incorrect. Mr. Geddes resides in Kotorua, and he informed the board that it was not convenient to come to Auckland at tliat time. Mr. Geddes, on behalf of .his committee, is quite willing to meet the board, provided the proceedings are open to the Press." Referring to Mr. Butland's statement that if producers are not satisfied they have a constitutional remedy, Mr. Meltzer said that under the Act of 1924 only 262 out of 6000 registered apiarists were able to vote. The legislation disfranchised 95 per cent. ' He asked if Mr. Butland favoured the amendment of that legislation to enable all registered -beekeepers to vote.