POTATO IMPORT PROTEST

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28321, 5 July 1957, Page 12

POTATO IMPORT PROTEST

Action Of Board Criticised

A protest against importati I of potatoes from Australia w be made to the Minister of Indi I tries and Commerce (Mr E. & Halstead) and the New Zeala I Potato Board by the Waima I Potato Growers’ Association. At a meeting of the associati ) last evening members complain L that 750 tons more than the 2( | tons recommended by the boa to cover losses through floodi (r in South Canterbury had be | imported. A letter received from t ' board said the board had be L told by the Minister that no mo L potatoes would be imported un L the results of a stock surv< | closing on June 30, had been coi p pleted. The president of the associ |! tion (Mr T. Mundy) said that 7 | tons of potatoes had since be | landed at Wellington. “We should tell the board th no imports should be made un all the Canterbury supplies a sold,” a member said. A simil . situation might arise-next-year. | The meeting decided that it x I sented the action of the board | importing potatoes during tl i harvest time. There had been j loss of trust because membe | had been working on the stoi survey after which the importir decision was to have been made “In view of reports that in ported potatoes are being sold i Auckland for 9d per lb while w consider it possible to offer poti toes retailing at 7d per lb, w should request that the Potal Board reveal the costs of impoi tation,” said the retiring secretax (Mr W. L. McFadden). “I hav been refused information on th point,” he said. A letter seeking the inform* tion will be written to the board Pacific Air-Sea Rescue Three Lancaster aircraft o the French Fleet Air Arm ar being sent to New Caledoni this month to be based a Tontouta airport for use in air sea rescue work. The move fol lows the recent entry of th* French Airline T.A.I. into th* South-West Pacific area and th* inauguration of the New Zealand New Caledonia service. Formerly all rescue work in this area wa done by Royal New Zealand Air Force Sunderlands based a Lauthala Bay, Fiji.—(P.A.)