ONION GROWING

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 21, 25 July 1933, Page 14

ONION GROWING

LOCAL INDUSTRY

SLIDING SCALE SOUGHT

The case of the onion growers ivas hoard by the Tariff Commission yesterday afternoon. The Comptroller of Customs (Dr. G. Craig) presided and associated ivith him -were Professor B. E. Murphy and Messrs. J. B. Pascoe and J. B. Gou\ Messrs. G. T. Pan-in and D. Good, representing the Franklin, and Canterbury onion growers, said that the onion growers wanted adequate protection to enable them to carry on the industry as a permanent means of livelihood. This could be brought about by a sliding scale of duly, and it was recommended that the following sliding scale should be adopted. When onions were selling at £.0 per ton locally, then the duty imposed be £4 per ton; when the selling price was £8 per ton, then the duty bo reduced by £1 for every £2 increase in the selling price of the local onions until £12 was reached, when the duty should remain at £1 per ton. This would protect the grower and give onions at a reasonable price to the consumer. The growers were prepared to arrange for the growing and cold storing of sufficient onions to meet the whole of the Dominion's requirements for the coming season, if a duty on tho scilc such as was suggested was recommended by the Commission. Tho experiments in the cold storage of onions had been a success, and if this was car-, ried out the prices would bo considerably lower than those- usually paid for the imported onions during the months from September to December. In addition, the liugo amount paid for imported onions (£64,983 in the past four years) could bo retained in the Dominion to assist all people in employment. Over-importation of onions had a very depressing effect on tho market as merchants were prepared to sacrifice the balance of their over-importations at a very low price to clear up their stocks. This meant that when the early-har-vested onions came on the market the price, instead of being in the vicinity of £10 per ton, was round about £7, which meant that tho average price per acre could not be obtained. This fact further depressed the market when the harvest was in full swing, so that the price instead of being £7 per ton, was down to £4. There was a grave danger of tho A Tew Zealand producers having to submit to Japanese competition which would inevitably result in lower standards for those in the industry. The products of Japan were rapidly finding their way to the New. Zealand market, and as this was an economic problem in which the living standards of New Zealandcrs were involved, the onion growers were of the opinion that everything possible should be done to safeguard those standards. Mr. B. 1\ Meadows, of. F. N. R. Meadows and Sons, Ltd., grain merchants and poultry food manufacturers, asked for an increase in the duty oil poultryspice. The only overseas competition at the present time was from England, and a request was made for an increase in the duty on the British product from 20 to 50 per cent.

In answer to Professor Murphy, the witness stated that ho had not considered the foreign or Australian duties, but suggested that they might be increased correspondingly.