VEGETABLE PRICES

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 260, 31 July 1944, Page 3

VEGETABLE PRICES

Growers’ President Replies

Protests by the New Zealand Retail Fruiterers’ and Greengrocers’ Federation at: statements made at the. annual conference of the Dominion Council of Commercial Gardeners that retailers were selling low-priced goods at the maximum price allowed bv price orders were referred to by Mr. B. V. Cooksley, growers president, on Saturday. Mr. Cooksley said that the retailers quoted a recent purchase in Wellington of cabbages at the ceiling price, not one of which was fit for sale. No experienced retailer would buy such produce but any who found a purchase not tip to standard bad only to refer the matter to any of the four inspectors attending the markets and a prosecution would be instituted against the grower for unfair packing. The growers’ council, where it thought a case justified, always supported prosecution. The growers’ statemeuts were made by delegates iu open conference at which the newspapers aud representatives ot Government departments were present. The delegates who complained had their names published and were prepared to stand by their statements. His own statement, recorded in the minutes of the proceedings, and made when a delegate suggested that the growers should not offend the retailers, was: ‘‘Have we a public duty? If so, is it not right that we should tell someone in authority that retailers should not buy at a very low price and then sell at the maximum allowed. If the retailer is hard hit at any time, we are equally prepared to stand by him.”