SUPPLIES OF VEGETABLES

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24741, 5 December 1945, Page 8

SUPPLIES OF VEGETABLES

♦— SURPLUS MARKETED BY

GOVERNMENT

EFFECT OF CANCELLATION OP U.S. CONTRACTS

(P.A.) WELLINGTON. Dec. 4. “Will the Minister of Marketing explain' why certain growers are prohibited from marketing their vegetables, and are thus left no option but to plough them in? Is the Minister aware that one grower of carrots in the Hastings district is in that position with 11 acres, and is the Minister aware that vegetables in cities are apparently in short supply, and that consequently the prices being charged are exorbitant, and beyond the purses of the rank and file of the people? Will the Minister take steps to prevent this unnecessary wastage of food supplies?'’ This urgent question was. asked m the House of Representatives to-day by Mr W. J. Broadfoot (Opposition. Wmtomo).

The Minister of Marketing (the Hon. B. Roberts) said there was nothing to prevent any grower in the Hastings district from marketing carrots, as suggested by the member for Waitomo. Ihe only vegetables under contract to the Internal Marketing Division which were now ready for harvesting were cabbages and beetroot,'which were in surplus through the cancellation of weeks 030 01^e -' s over the las t three

Twenty thousand sacks and cases of surplus vegetables had been distributed by the division throughout the southfho L a ti, o i the North Island and in the South Island as far as Christchurch. Dunedin, Greymouth, and Westport, and the division was con--.V] 1 ™ ng i to . £Up , ply surplus vegetables to

It was possible, the Minister continued, that certain vegetables iusi coming into production were bringing good market prices, but there were huge quantities of cabbage, potatoes pffr' oo S T anc * J et * uce being sold at exceptionally cheap wholesale prices. These cheap wholesale prices were not being immediately reflected in the renmlm trade ’ the Minister said he tS d th SSU r re * the member for Waitomo , tbat t th .f. Internal Marketing Division was taking every step to ensure that he received those vegetables at rates considerably lower than the fixed p r*s? s ' s °me Shops were iQalutmg full supplies of very chean cabbages cauliflowers, peas, etc. as a result of contracts made by the Internal Marketing Division. The Government was opposed to any unnecessary wastage of foodstuffs, as was evidenced by its efforts to bread those surpluses to consumers so long as there was any demand. b « mere m division was under contract with jnsny growers to take vegetables when thp J fn l n atUr^ d ’ if after supplying the full needs of the market there was no outiet for the vegetables, the divisgrowersUlTh^T^en?ate its c °nWact Americans.were paying vegetables for which they had contracted, but which they were un sSips. t0 uplift trough the diversion^ W. Doidge (Opposition, Tauranga) said he could produce evidence that substantial areas of vegetables were being ploughed in. 8 “ Thf r^ Thori l 1 (Go ,'i. eriiment > Thames); PkmJJed°i£ able Member be