VEGETABLE SUPPLY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20619, 21 November 1941, Page 2

VEGETABLE SUPPLY

CAUSES OF SHORTAGE TRIBUNAL’S INQUIRY (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. The high prices of vegetables to-day was due to one principal cause —shortage of supply, stated a survey of commercial market gardening in New Zealand presented to the Price Tribunal yesterday by Mr. W. T. Goodwin, assistant director of the horticulture division of the Department of Agriculture. This was not necessarily unusual at this period of the year, but. was more pronounced this year. The main causbs in the supply shortage were:— (1) Shptt planting of seasonal crops; (2) shortage of man-power; (3) unfavourable climatic conditions; (4) an increase of consumption in certain directions; |; (5) increased production costs; (6) disease and pests. The survey gave a detailed analysis of these cduses and stressed the need for organisation and planned production and suggested the establishment of consumers’ and producers’ organisations to deal with supply and demand.

Mr. W. j. Gunn, food controller, submitted a report on supplies for the armed forces. He denied a suggestion which had been made that the army was prepared to ofTer any price at all for vegetables, and pointed to the fact that the quartermaster at any camp had only a certain margin on which to operate^