BARTER MARKET

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 51, Issue 3106, 15 April 1942, Page 2

BARTER MARKET

VEGETABLE EXCHANGE

A TREMENDOUS SUCCESS CARROTS BUY COMMODITIES An interesting letter has just been received by Mrs J. H. Hindman of Waipukurau from her sister, Mrs Harry Sibun, formerly of Napier and now of Croydon, England. Mrs Sibun tells of a very practical experiment which is being tried out in Croydon and. encloses newspaper-clippings giving full details. “The age-old system of barter has been started again in Croydon at a market which was opened on .Saturday morning by Sir Herbert Williams, M.P.,” says the paper. “It is the first market of its kind in the country.” The paper then goes on to state that all people who have a surplus of vegetables in their gardens have been invited to take their produce to the market, which is held in the car-park of a large store. Here they receive a voucher to the value of the produce, which they can spend in the store, No money is exchanged. For their carrots, potatoes and cabbages homegardeners can obtain clothes, shoes, blankets or anything else they require. The market has been called “the housewives’ dream” and is expected to prove a tremendous success. It was pointed out by the managing director of the store that there is no desire whatever to make profits. The only object is to try and help in distributing food fairly. Long Queue of People

Long before the opening ceremony there was a long queue of people lined up, all carrying 'baskets loaded with vegetables of all kinds. The “veges” were weighed', the vouchers issued and the delighted vendors went ■off to spend their “carrot money” on hats, shoes and household 'goods. Later, the excellent fresh vegetables were bought up by a large crowd in the space of a few minutes.

In the course of his address Sir Herbert Williams said: “The idea is to get the surplus produce to the people who have no allotments or gardens and to get it to them at the lowest possible price. It will encourage those who have gardens to ‘dig for victory’ and at the same time will allow them to get the things they need, in exchange for their surplus produce.” An amusing photograph from an illustrated journal was also sent to Mrs Hindman. It shows one of a bevy of women with arms full of carrots, lettuce and turnips bargaining with another woman whose arms are full of hats and shoes. Says the* latter: “A chic little pair of shoes, Madam, going for six carrots, four turnips and a marrow.” And the reply from the would-be customer: “Well, I didn’t really want to go beyond a couple of tomatoes and a bunch of parsley. Still, ” Croydon’s baek-to-barter experiment is being watched with great interest by the Ministry of Food.

New Zealand, friends of Mr and Mrs Harry Sibun will be interested to hear that their daughter, Irene Sibun, who spent schooldays here, has an important post in the Ministry of Information.