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Evening Post, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 131, 5 June 1944, Page 4

The Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Roberts), defending the Government vegetable growing projects in reply to Auckland criticism, said that the closing of camps in the South Island > had necessitated the shutting down of • certain vegetable farms, and that the military situation in the Pacific, which demanded an addition of 3000 to ,4000 ' acres last year, might require the overhauling of the vegetable programme. ' "We feel a national responsibility in ' all these wartime demands," said the Minister, "and I say the personnel of the Department of Agriculture has done a wonderful jpb in the improvisation of equipment and labour for over 5000 acres of vegetable farms which have delivered the goods, perhaps not as efficiently as well-established market gardens, but in volume sufficient to meet military and dehydration needs and something to spare for our domestic demands. Even if some carrots are sold to farmers for pig feeding purposes, it must be remembered that we are paying pig farmers £5 per acre subsidy to grow carrots ; and save transport of barley from j Australia." THE AUCKLAND CRITICISM. The Minister described the Auckland | criticism as "a column of bitter con- [ demnation of our State vegetable I farms," but directed more particularly . to the vegetable farms in the Auckland ! Province.- "The article," he continued, i "is apparently by some mischief-maker L who writes a whole column of sur--1 mise and conjecture, and who evident- ■ ly is not acquainted with the vagaries ) of climatic conditions, wartime orders, ! and the necessity of improvisation and * quick results for war needs.- The writer ■ has no conception of the big, broad ' national demands which were made upon this Dominion when the enemy was nearly at' our shores. Camps . sprang into existence all over the Do- - minion like mushrooms, U.S.A. forces l poured into the Pacific Islands, convoys 3 called at our ports for hundreds of : tons of vegetables almost at a moment's 3 notice, and all these demands had to - be met, not from scratch, but from a - Dominion scarcity of vegetables never i known before in our history. I am • told the commercial gardeners could s have, done the job. If, so, why did we 1 have such a scarcity of vegetables and ■ the public held up to ransom m prices? ' Common sense tells us that neither the 3 commercial growers nor any other " critic could avoid such difficulties. c They came' to our doorsteps overnight, ' and we had to deal with them and get " results at once, -like the munition . manufacturer. Promptitude was the -, essential thing, and as a result we ' have had commendation from the , U.S.A. authorities, and many a jungle 2 fighter has blessed our fresh vegetable ; supply." N