CHEAP POTATOES
AUSTRALIA'S BIG NEED. Mr. R. P E. Hides, .of Wellington, who lias just relumed from a visit to Australia, is interested in tho potato mar-ker,-and coming back to find that whilst there is something approaching a potato famine in Sydney tho. tubers are selling at .« 15s. per ton f.o.b. in the south, points to an anomaly about as great as those extant in Europe. Perhaps it is greater hero, as there is any amount of money to pay for tluj potatoes in bydney, whilst our farmers cannot make anything out of their potatoes at £i 10s. per ton. Mr. Fildes,, who went into the question in Australia, said that the officer responsible for the embargo on New Zealand potatoes was tho federal Quarantine Officer (Dr. Crumpton), who was personally waited upon by Mr. Pildes, and who gave as his grounds for refusing to admit New Zealand potatoes that potato scab had been discovered to exist in the Dominion. This, said Mr. Pildes, could bo only a pretext, as tho potatoes from the south were as'clean as a whistle, and there should be no risk whatever if the inspector at this end certified a consignment a3 free from disease, and tho certificate was endorsed by a New South Wales Inspector At tho other ond.
This matter vitally affected not only our farmers, but the public, for if the former were only going to. get •£!■. 10s. for their crops this year, they would not plant so heurtily next season, and the result of that would bo that the public would have to. piiy. through the noso.
As the position nov» stood, Dr. Gimpfilon absolutely refused to allow New Zeiv' land potatoes to land in Sydney, even if accompanied by a Government certificate testifying to their freedom from disease, yet Australian growers of soft fruits were allowed a market in New Sea lanS under similar conditions. It was freely stated in Australia that Dr. Cnmpston's dictum was in the best interests of Victorian and Tasmanian growers, which was probably very true, seeing that they were receiving A'l7 per ton for their produce,
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Bibliographic details
Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 251, 17 July 1920, Page 7
Word Count
351CHEAP POTATOES Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 251, 17 July 1920, Page 7
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