CITRUS GROWERS PROTEST

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 249, 18 July 1942, Page 8

CITRUS GROWERS PROTEST

Minister’s Statement In House

Strong exception was taken by the Tauranga Citrus Growers’ Association to a published report that the Minister of Marketing, Mr. Barclay, bad stated in the House that lemon growers were satisfied with .he treatment they were leceiviug from the Government. The association adopted the following resoultion :— “That this meeting of the. Tauranga Citrus Association enters a most emphatic protest against the misuse in Parliament by the Minister of Marketuig of the motion passed by this-asso-ciation expressing confidence in the Internal Marketing Department, in that the portion of the same motion re-? ferring to the dissatisfaction of growers with the price paid by the department for lemons was omitted by him, thus altering the impression tne motion was intended to convey. The present price is far below production costs, and representations are being made for 8/2 a loose bushel The industry cannot carry ou for less than this figure, which is approximately sevenpence a dozen. "Owing to favourable seasons during the last three years, the output of lemons had increased, despite the uneconomic price, but there is a definite decline this year, due to the unfavourable season, and the price being paid to the grower of approximately fivepence a dozen is quite inadequate. There seems no reason why the extra twopence a dozen could not be paid to the grower without asking the consumer to pay any more.”