HONEY FOR BRITAIN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18553, 10 November 1923, Page 13

HONEY FOR BRITAIN.

DUTY UN FOREIGN PRODUCT,,

ADVANTAGE TO NEW ZEALAND.

The cabled announcement that the British Government proposes to give preference to Empire-grown honey by admitting it to the United Kingdom free and imposing a duty of 10b per cw£. against the foreign-grown is regarded by honey producers in the Auckland province as extremely good news. It is looked upon as encouraging to the future prospects of the industry. A telegram was despatched to the London agents of ti>.< New Zealand Co-operative Honey Producers' Association from {he head office at Auckland asking them to convey the congratulations and thanks of the association shareholders to Mr. Maasey for the preference on honey. The manager of the association, Mr. H. Eraser, stated yesterday that the Auckland province is raw by far the largest! honey prod in the Dominion. This is due to the increase in the area of land devoted to dairying as, wifch the laying down of pastures, the area of clover is expanding. It should continue to do so as the dairymen are expressing a desire to have beekeepers establish themselves in the district. This is especially so in the King Country The association has some large suppliers, one beekeeper in the North Auckland district having 1000 hives and another in the Thames district having well over that number. Each of these men, it was stated, supplied between 40 and 50 tons of honey per year. • . ■. The chief trade opponents of Che He Zealand producers said Mr. Fraser, are the Californians who are sending to the London market honey of a qualify not quite equal to that of New Zealand, but the difference in freight enabled them to sell at a much lower figure. This position was aggravated recently by the break-down . of the California producers' selling organisation which brought about a drop of 40s in the London prices and New Zealand has been compelled to fall into line. « The export figures quoted by Mr. Fraser indicate the size of the industry in the Dominion. He mentioned tha' last year flie association sent to [London 7635 cases, comprising 399£ tons of bulk honey and five tons packed in 21b. containers in which form it has a growing demand. This season is the first in which the association has been able to recommend shareholders to increase their apiaries and hives with the assurance that it will Cake all the honey they can send. Last month the association sold 2630 cases of packed honey arid 1290 cases in bulk. Most of this went to Europe. Mr. Fraser expressed the opinion that with ordinarily good • weather conditions the present season would produce about 700 fans of honey for export. The proposed duty will make a, difference of £10 per ton to the New Zealand producers on the London market which is the only profitable overseas avenue open to them at present. The United States have prohibited the marketing of N6W Zealand honey in that! country by the imposition of a duty of 3d per pound, while .the protective measures adopted in South Africa in the interests of local industry have pracfirally had the same effect. Australia and Canada are in a position to produce sufficient honey to supply fheir own requirements.