HONEY CONTROL

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 229, 26 August 1935, Page 4

HONEY CONTROL

ABOLITION OF BOARD. URGED BY COAST BEEKEEPERS. A special meeting of the West Coast Beekeepers’ Association was held at Greymouth recently, for the purpose of hearing an address by Mr John Murdoch, of Ross, concerning the control and export marketing of New Zealand honey. Air E. Airey (president of the association) presided. Air J. O’Brien, AI.P. for AVestland, was also present. Air Murdoch said he had been travelling in the North Island, meeting beekeepers and others interested. In I 1924, when the Honey Control Board was formed, he realised that the men running it and their policy could only bring disaster to the industry. During the last ten years, beekeepers had practically been slaves to the Honey Control Board, who had carried out a policy which was not in the best interests of the beekeepers as a whole. Referring to Section 2 of the Honey Control Act, lie said that the word “exported” should he “produced,” in order to give every beekeeper a vote. There were SOOO beekeepers in New Zealand, but there were only 130 who had a vote in electing members to represent them on the Honey Control Board. The hoard comprised one Government nominee and two producers’ icpresentatives, one of whom retired each year but was eligible for re-elec-tion. He was sure that the beekeepers would never have success or prosperity until the Honey Control Board was abolished, and lie thought the majority of the beekeepers wanted to sec it go. Personally be was quite in favour of the abolition of the Honey Control Board, but if they could not get that, then they should have a vote in electing the representatives to the board. The dairy producers all had a vote in electing their representatives to their Control Board, and why should it lie denied the producers of honey? Air Murdoch criticised at length the operations of the board, as did other speakers in a lengthy discussion, following which Ah- N. Sliallcrass, secretary of the AVcst Coast Beekeepers’ Association, moved: “That this meeting of beekeepers forward a motion to the Alinister of Agriculture, through the member for the district, urging the abolition of the Honey Control Board.” The motion was seconded by Air H. Butcher, and carried unanimously. It was decided that the matter of joining up with the Dominion Beekeepers’ Association be left for the executive to call a meeting in conjunction with the annual meeting, to decide the question.