NO SWEATING

Evening Post, Volume CXXXV, Issue 60, 12 March 1943, Page 3

NO SWEATING

MARKET GARDENS INDUSTRY

REGISTRATION BILL

General support for the Commercial Gardens Registration Bill was given in the House of Representatives last night. The Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser) said that if the measure would help to organise the production of vegetables it was desirable, but he would like to point out that people who looked for cheapness in any form of produce were just looking for something that would be impossible in the future if those who produced it were to get an adequate standard of living. If a fair basic wage was not possible without the price of vegetables being increased, then the people would have to face up to it. They could not afford to have a sweated market gardens industry. The Minister of Agriculture (Mr Barclay) said that apart from the gardeners" desiring the Bill it was wanted by the Department of Agriculture, as it was necessary to do a good deal of planning in the production of vegetables to feed the people of New Zealand and the troops in the Pacific area To get that planning going it was necessary to know just what area was in commercial gardens. He explained that the fees proposed were for the gardeners to form their own organisation, although gardeners would not be compelled to join that organisation. CONTRACT SYSTEM OF GROWING "We will give commercial gardeners contracts to grow certain vegetables at a certain price," added the Minister, "and what cannot be grown by those growers will be grown by the Department. The commercial gardeners have been cooperating, and if we want them to grow certain crops they will grow them for us. If they won't we will grow them ourselves." The Leader of the Opposition (Mr Holland) said that the Opposition would concur in the passing of the Bill on the understanding that the measure would not now or at any other time be used as an implement to force compulsory membership of any organisation. Growers had assured the Opposition that in asking for the Bill they would resist any legislation that would make for compulsory membership of their organisation.