MARKETING OF EGGS

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 257, 28 July 1939, Page 13

MARKETING OF EGGS

Improvement Expected In Near Future I NEED FOR ORGANIZATION a step forward in the marketing of eggs throughout the Dominion stemed imminent, and it was confidently expected that the very near future held a partial answer at least to the board’s long period of effort, said Mr. A. E. Knowle.s chairman of the New Zealand Poultry Board, in his annual report, which was pres, nted to the annual meeting of the board in Wellington this week. There could be no doubt that producers were united in the view that some form of organization of the marketing of eggs was long overdue, and rising costs of food.-tuffs and other materials used by the poultry-farmer served to emphasize the urgency of the ne.d, said Mr. Knowles. The views of individual producers in regard to systematic organized marketing of eggs had differed in some respects. There had been those who preferred a complete and comprehensive scheme to be put , into operation at the commencement, and opposed to that view were those who preferred the position to remain as it was for fear the comprehensive scheme might not prove a success, chiefly because of its very comprehensiveness and size. In accepting the long view thfit it was better to take a step at a time and ensure that each development was sound and running successfully before going further, the board had been faced with the necessity of translating ideals into practical action and ensuring that marketing organization should come about with the least upset within the industry. It was along those lines that the board expected action to be taken in the very near future, and it was confidently expected that once a commencement had been made the organization of marketing would expand and so place the poultry industry more in the position which its importance merited. The board had always adhered firmly to the viewpoint that producers should have some say in the marketing of their produce and it was significant of the board’s repeated representations that during the year the Minister of Marketing assured the board that he was "happy about an advisory commmittee representing producers having some say in a marketing scheme” and that he was "not insisting on absolute Government control.” In accordance with its policy of the previous year, the Internal Marketing Division again subsidized exports at a price of 1/24 a dozen, an increase of Id. a dozen over last year. .Feed Problems. Much dissatisfaction had been expressed during the past year on the high prices of poultry feed and the fact that, prices had an increasing rather than a decreasing tendency. The chief factor of dissatisfaction was that the rising costs could not be offset against prices of the eggs, as though the feed prices were arbitrarily fixed no such system was in operation to compensate poultrykeepers through, the marketing of their product. The board acknowledged that continuity of supplies of wheat for feed purposes had been well maintained, but unfortunately the price had remained considerably above outside parities. Efforts made by the board for a price adjustment on imported wheat had more than once been met by the assertion that any profits made in handling wheat had been "handed to the Customs Department in lieu of sliding scale duty.” The importation of both feed barley and maize had been taken over 'by the Internal Marketing Department and prices had again shown an increase over those previously ruling, despite the assertion by the department that only sufficient profit was made to coyer reasonable overhead costs of handling the feed lines. High feed costs arbitrarily fixed and without compensation of corresponding market returns constituted a danger to ■the industry during periods of poor production which might occur during a bad season, and the ‘board had been I seriously concerned about the con- I tinned high costs. The prices of local pollard and bran remained constant during the year, and it was important to note the Minister's assurance that the prices of those commodities would not be increased. The quantities available had on occasions been insufficient to meet the need of the industry, but the assurances that the poultrykeepers had preference of supply over other users were several times repeated during the year by the Wheat Committee.