HONEY CONTROL BOARD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19419, 30 August 1926, Page 6

HONEY CONTROL BOARD.

Sir —Tho inquiries by the Auckland council of: tho Chamber of Commerce* into the affairs of tho Iloney- Control. Board, referred to in Saturday a Heuald, have not . preVented it from- getting a verv simpk matter very much confused. It 'is difficult to -understand why this should have happened nv view of tho information that was stippuod to the council. With; reference to the letter to tlio Minister of Agriculture, the Control Board does not jnako a ,lpvy of Id per lb. for advertising. Advertising charges are part of the selling expenses, and amounted to Id per lb. in; 1925 land 3d per lb. for this yeaig to date. > There is ample evidenco that the advertising pays for itself. Naturally there is a. heavy stock of- houey |n' London; at certain times. Iho bulk of tile exports are made during three months |i the year, , and last year the export ofceetied the previous year s by over one-third of- the. quantity, accounting for if much larger stock in London than usual at tha export period. That "six pel cent, of the turnover appears tof he. absorbed in interest charges oii past'losses " is an extraordinary statement'. 11l the first place, the interest charges Ion ! past "losses" are not tho board's ;concern, but entirely those of the Honey Producers'; Association, In the second place they are nothing like six perl cent. Tho interest charges do not affect shippers. Tho boiard'sf accounts are in' no way associated with those of the New Zealand Honey jProducsrs. Its accounts arc verv simple,! beitig purely administrative expenses. f Tho,board, however, in any action taken must necessarily consider tho members of that association seeing that they represent over 90 per cent, of tho oxporting producers. It is, further, difficult to-' understand the council's reference to, accounts, seeing that it knows that tho board has only controlled shipments to", the! extent that they shall go to one distributor for the United Kingdom and Europe. The shipper deals direct with the agent. Title reasons for controlling the- distribution are well defined. Tho council has. in its possession 'a full explanation covering tho Westland complaint! in which it is shown that this particular shipper has duplicated his export charges, and that his actual returns represent 29£ per cent, on his investments* As only four producers, represent i rig less than 20 tons out of an export of 780 tons., have made any complaint it woiild be interesting to know for whom the council is acting. As a matter of fact jess than 10 per cent, of tho produced; are affected by control as all the othera have all along been paying the advertising charges and commission which are in question. John Rentoul, | Chairman, Honey Control Board.