DELIVERIES OF BREAD

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 February 1947, Page 4

DELIVERIES OF BREAD

MAYORESS REPLIES TO THE PROGRESS LEAGUE CRITICS “A LITTLE UNJUST” “We have pushed as far as it is possible for us to push, and I think they are being a little unjust,’’’ said the Mayoress, Mrs. F. A. Kitchingham, at Greymouth, this morning, in referring to criticism made at a meeting of the Westland District Progress League at Hokitika on Tuesday evening, of. the action of women s organisations concerning the resumption of bread deliveries.

“As recently as January 15, continued Mrs. Kitchingham, “on receipt of a communication from the National Council of Women, I telephoned the secretary of the Master Bakers’ and the Master Butchers Associations, Mr. Fogarty, and asked what had been done in the matter of resuming deliveries. Mr. Fogarty told me that the associations were ‘waiting for the Government to do it.’ That is as far as we have progressed, in- spite of constant representations to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Health, the Minister of Supply and the member for the district.”

Letters to Ministers. Detailing the action that had been taken, Mrs. Kitchingham said that in a letter dated November 13 the Progress League had asked her to convene a meeting of representatives of women’s organisations to consider the matter of deliveries. A little earlier in that month, however, at a meeting at which 12 womens organisations were represented to consider the obstetrical and gynaecological appeal, the subject of bread and meat deliveries had been fully discussed and those present had decided to communicate with the Prime Minister, the Minister of Health, the Minister of Supply and the member for the district on the subject. The replies to those letters had been published in the Evening Star. When she received the letter from the league suggesting the calling of a meeting of women’s organisations she advised Mr. Bunt, a member of the council of the league, that a representative meeting had already been held, and that action had been taken. She had told him further that 12 organisations were represented at the meeting, and that it would hardly be necessary to call a further conference. The replies from the Ministers, including Mr. O’Brien, to the effect that if the business people concerned incurred any losses through the deliveries, which could not legally be recovered because of the Price Tribunal orders, the Government would meet the losses, had already been published. No Lack of Effort. “The bakers and the butchers say, however, that they are waiting for the Government to do it,” concluded Mrs. Kitchingham. “That is as far as we have been able to get, but it is not for want of effort. The National Council of Women has discussed the subject of deliveries frequently—indeed, it has been a most important issue with the council, which has never let it drop. If the Progress League considers that the women’s organisations can do any more, I -am quite prepared to call a public meeting, but I do not think we can hope for a more representative attendance than at the previous meeting, when 12 organisations sent delegates.”