ONIONS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 29, 3 August 1939, Page 8

ONIONS

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—During the last week there has been a good deal of talk about boycotting Japanese onions in this country. The Minister explained that the reason for importing Japanese onions into the country was because there was a shortage here. Now I read in the "Evening Post" of July 26 that 700 bags of New Zealand onions arrived on the Sydney market at £30 per ton. What is the explanation of this?—l am, etc., FAIR PLAY. The Internal Marketing Department, to whom this letter was referred, stated: "It is usual both to export and import onions every year on account of the fact that New Zealand onions do not keep right through the season. This year prices have been exceptionally high in Australia on account of crop failure due to droughts and bush fires. The prices received in Australia for New Zealand onions have been considerably in excess of the cost of landing imported onions into New Zealand. As previously explained, contracts for importation and for export were made many months ago, and the onions sent to Australia have gone into immediate consumption, whereas those imported into New Zealand were pur-, chased with the object of maintaining reasonable supplies and prices when New Zealand stocks a.\e exhausted. Without such importations prices to New Zealand consumers could easily soar to the high levels at present obtaining in Australia."