POTATO MARKETING

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 July 1945, Page 8

POTATO MARKETING

.MERCHANTS AND OFFICIAL • WELLINGTON, July 19. “The statement in ‘The Press’ yesterday attributed to Mr. A. H. Honeyfield, Auckland manager of the Internal Marketing Division, concerning the shortage of potatoes is, to say the least, untimely and discourteous, and couched in terms which, through his apparent ignorance of the real position, might create an erroneous impression of the situation,” said the New Zealand Grain, Seed, and Produce Merchants’ Federation in a statement issued to-day. “Mr. Honeyfield,” said the statement, “seemed over-anxious to dissociate the Internal Marketing Division from any responsibility for the difficult supply position which has been experienced in the North Island, and at the same time to give the impression that the Internal Marketing Division has come in to retrieve the situation by arranging imports from Australia and assuming some greater responsibility for production and marketing in future. We do not think the Marketing Division has been generally blamed for the shortage which as already announced by the Minister (Mr. Roberts) has been due practically solely to disastrous climatic conditions in producing districts this year.” Regarding future policy, the statement criticises Mr. Honeyfield in' making the statement when matters were in course of negotiation with the Minister through his officers. These negotiations had been going on for some days, and unless they were not being told the whole story as to the Government’s intentions, the federatoni saw very little major change from what had obtained during the last two years concerning the production and distribution of potatoes and onions. During 1943-44 and 1944-45 mer- I chants undertook to contract for growing potatoes and onions, as I agents for the Government, such pro- '< cedui'e having been agreed upon as a war measure. The target acreage for 1945-46 under the scheme was 37,500 ' acres, and was exactly the same target as aimed at in 1944-45. As far as the federation was aware, production would continue to be the prerogative of growers and merchants, with the usual excellent assistance of the Department of Agriculture, and marketing and distribution would still be through the usual channels. “Mr. Honeyfield intimates that 50,- . 000 tons are to be made available to the American forces next year,” continues the statement. “We would have thought it wiser not to make any commitments at this stage as the potatoes are not yet in the ground, and our experience over many .years, and confirmed with a vengeance this last year, is that it is very dangerous to make any positive estimate until crop prospects are better Known. In conclusion we can only say that we are of opinion that if any public statements are to be made in these matters, they should emanate from the. Minister himself, and not from an officer who has had very little* to do with the arrangements that have been made.”