Attempt To Settle Growers Dispute

Northern Advocate, 18 February 1949, Page 7

Attempt To Settle Growers Dispute

WELLINGTON, Fri. (Sp.).—Endeavouring to settle the deadlock over the boycott of produce markets by retailers, the Government has suggested that the parties should meet in Wellington as soon as possible. Telegrams are being sent to the affected" organisations asking them to send representatives to a meeting to be held under a chairman appointed by the Government. The organisations to be invited to the proposed meeting are the Federation of Retail; Fruiterers and Greengrocers, the Fruitgrowers’ Federation, the Fruit and Produce Merchants and Auctioneers’ Federation and the Commercial Gardeners’ Federation. “In the last day or so the Government has received many telegrams urging it to take action to cope with the hold-up in the distribution of fruit and vegetables,” said the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr Nordmeyer) last night. “It should be understood that since the lines of produce affected by the boycott are, with few exceptions, not subject to price control, the subject matter of the dispute is properly a matter for settlement by the parties concerned. GOVERNMENT’S VIEW. “Nevertheless, the Government could not be indfi'erent to a situation which deprived the public of adequate supplies of essential foodstuffs. The Government hopes that the parties to the dispute will come together in an attempt to negotiate a settlement or, alternatively, to submit the dispute to arbitration.” At Auckland today the; first of a fleet of 70 trucks to deliver fruit and vegetables direct to consumers in the metropolitan and outer suburban areas went into service. Organised by commercial growers as a counter to the retailers’ boycott on the purchase of fruit and vegetables in containers from the City Markets, the scheme is expected to be in full swing on Monday. PRICES LOW. The retailers’ boycott yesterday resulted in many tons of fruit being left on the floor of the markets, where prices for both fruit and vegetables were very low. Members of the public and a number of organisations and factories took advantage of the situation to ibuy cheaply. The growers’ associations concerned in the dispute yesterday telegraphed the Parliamentary Labour caucus at Wellington pressing for the setting up of an independent tribunal to settle the question.

The president of the Auckland Commercial Gardeners’ Association (Miss J. Cooper) said stocks remaining on the auction floor would be distributed by truck throughout ■ the city area. Growers had 60 to 70 hawkers’ licences and by zoning districts they expected to make a comprehensive distribution.

The Auckland district representative of the association (Mr J. McCort) left for Wellington yesterday to attend a meeting of the association’s Dominion council. RETAILERS’ SUPPORT

“A tour of retail shops showed us that in the main the Auckland retailers are solidly behind us,” said the sec« retary of the New Zealand Federation of Retail Fruiterers and Greengrocers (Mr C. C. King). The organisation had been given the unqualified support of the Master Grocers’ Association and several large chain and departmental stores.