HONEY MARKETING

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 91, 17 April 1943, Page 4

HONEY MARKETING

The letter from Mr. W. B. Bray in your issue of 9th inst. is a valuable contribution to the question of honey marketing. His letter and the published reports make it clear that Canterbury demands are to retain a position of advantage in the industry, which they claim they have created by their own efforts. What advantage there is, and it is a questionable one and has not been shown to be economically sound, has been gained by a few beekeepers at the expense of all and must disappear as more beekeepers change from an organised system of marketing to the one advocated by Mr. Bray. This stand is not new in the honey industry, but has been a prominent subject of discussion since its inception. The policy advocated by Canterbury has proved disastrous in the past and has been turned down repeatedly at conferences of beekeepers. If Canterbury beekeepers have any just claim there is an organisation whereby differences in the industry can be ironed out to the advantage of the whole industry, and most beekeepers are prepared to co-operate to that end. The methods of direct action taken in Canterbury cannot be endorsed by anyone having the permanent welfare of the industry in view. F. D. HOLT. President South Auckland Branch National Beekeepers' Association.