SUGAR RATIONING

Grey River Argus, 21 March 1945, Page 7

SUGAR RATIONING

BLACK MARKETING ALLEGATION MASTER GROCERS’ REFLY TO MINISTER. AUCKLAND, March 20. “Apparently Mr Nordmeyer wants the many to pay for the sins of the few,” said Mr R. M. Barker, Secretary of the Master Grocers’ Federation to-day, replying to a statement by 1 he Acting-Minister of Supply that the registration of sugar, customers had been abandoned" in an endeavour to reduce black marketing. “Black marketing is inevitable and no rationing scheme has yet been devised which will eliminate it. However, .it is wrong and unfair for the Minister to imply that many convictions _ have been recorded for this offence in regard to sugar. To my knowledge there have been only two such convictions, and in both instances they were taken against store managers, and not against the principals of the shops.” Referring to Mr Nordmeyer’s statement that all aspects of the subject had been discussed with the Federation, Mr Barker said that the last such discussion had taken place in September, when the Rationing Controller agreed that registration was "a better system, and had continued it accordingly. That the system lin’d proved satisfactory was borne out uy Mr Nordmeyer’s own statement in a letter to the Federation on March 12 in which he said: “I, too, feel that rationing in this country has operated and, in fact, is operating in a highly satisfactory manner.” AUCKLAND GROCERS’ CRITICISM. ■ AUCKLAND, March 19. Mr Nordmeyer was criticised at a largely-attended meeting of the Auckland Master Grocers’ Association. It was stated that matters had deteriorated ever since last November when the Minister of Supply (Mr Sullivan) left for overseas. A resolution was passed unanimously that the meeting should place on record its strongest objection to the manner in which Mr Nordmeyer had, during the absence of Mr Sullivan, altered or attempted to alter established trade policies. Examples quoted were the alleged preferential treatment extend- 1 ed to the Huntly and District Co-op-erative Store, the endeavours of Mr Nordmeyer to insist that grocers should wrap all bread sold over the counter, and his action in abandoning the system of registration of sugar customers. The meeting affirmed its desire to co-operate with the Government in the successful prosecution of the war, and to this end urged the resumption of the relationships which had always existed before the departure overseas of Mr Sullivan.