POTATO IMPORTS

Dominion, Volume 39, Issue 28, 27 October 1945, Page 8

POTATO IMPORTS

Marketing Division Criticized QUANTITY UNFIT TO EAT The conditions under which Tasmanian potatoes were imported into New Zealand by the Internal .Marketing Department were criticized by Mr. GERARD (N., Mid-Canterbury). He said that Air. Roy (N., Ciutha) and himself had inspected the shipment unloaded ut Wellington, and had seen hundreds of bags unfit for human consumption. Both members criticized the reply given by the Alinister of Marketing,- Mr. Roberts, to a question they had asked in the House, it having been stated by the Alinister that only a small proportion were unfit for human consumption. Air. GERARD said he had seen hundreds of bags in such :i condition that they could not be bandied. The Minister’s reply to the question in the House was incorrect. The Internal Alarketiug Division was told by merchants that the consignment was not up tc contract and would not take them. The probable cost of lauding the potatoes was £l9 a ton. They had been offered to merchants at £l4/2/6 a ton, and some bad been sold at between £6 and £8 a ton to a newlyformed private company, the manager of which was a member of the Internal Alarketiug Division a month before. The director’ of the division had done some strange bargaining. He had bought the bad-keeping varieties of potatoes when good keepers were in plentiful ' supply. When the merchants wanted a licence - .o import potatoes they could not get one, and the potatoes were imported when early varieties in the Auckland district were coming into production. There was then a glut on the market. A Government member: Where are they ? »' Mr. GERARD: They are selling in Auckland -at. 2d. a pound. , Air. RICHARDS (L.. Roskill): I challenge you to produce them. . Air. GERARD said that private enterprise wanted to do the job and was not allowed to do so. . . Mr. WILLIAAIS (L„ Kaiapoi) said there bad been reasonable prospects ot good crops and that there would be sufficient to meet New Zealand’s requirements and also spare considerable quantifies for the Allied forces, but because of . rhe wet weather it was almost impossible for three months to dig potatoes in Canterbury. If arrangements had not been made to import there would have been a famine in New Zealand and the Government would have been blamed for not importing. , , , Mr. GERARD: The merchants asked (or a licence and were refused. Air. WILLIAAIS said the difficulty arose over shipping. There was no direct shipping from Tasmania to New Zealand. The condition the potatoes arrived in New Zealand in was entirely due to the delay in shipping for which the Government could uot be held responsible. The potatoes were good commercial varieties. . Mr. LANGSTONE 1.L., Waimnrino): They are not up to our own potatoes. Air. WILLIAMS: I am not going to admit they are equal to Canterbury potltoes.

Forty I’er Cent. Unfit to Eat. Mr. ROY said that he had inspected the' potatoes unloaded at Wellington and. ho would say that, there were at least about 300 tons in the sreds at that time, and that at least 40 per cent, ot them were unfit for human consumption and would have to be dumped The Alinister had stated that the potatoes were generally in good condition and that only a small proportion would have to be dumped, and it looked as if Mr. Gerard and himself had been putting over something that was not correct and misleading tne public. The publie would have to pay dear for a substantial blunder by the Internal Marketing Division. Mr. RICHARDS said that the merchants hud made inquiries in Tasmania and thev were told that transactions could only take place on a Government to Government basis. All potatoes weic grown in Australia under Government contract. Australian potatoes could on.y be sold in New Zealand at a loss because the Australian price was higliet than the New Zealand price.