DEAR VEGETABLES

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24125, 18 November 1941, Page 8

DEAR VEGETABLES

TRIBUNAL'S INQUIRY POTATO REQUIREMENTS MARKETING METHODS [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] WELLINGTON, Monday Giving evidence before the Price Tribunal inquiring into the prices of vegetables, Mr. R. G. C. Ffitch, of the produce section of the Internal Marketing Division, urged potato growers to plant a substantially increased area in the few weeks still remaining. A total of 120,000 tons was required each year to meet all requirements, and this was unlikely to be reached otherwise. There was little prospect of potatoes being cheaper than they had been this season, £7 to £8 per ton f.o.b. South Island ports in April and May to £l2 to £l3 in August and September. Mr. Flitch pointed out that the Internal Marketing Division had no control over vegetables except potatoes and onions, in respect of which it had acted helpfully, arranging exports to South America and Australia in 1938 and 1940, when there were heavy surpluses, and imports from America in 1939 and Australia in 1941, when there were shortages. He referred to delays due to wet weather causing high prices, which were likely to continue for the next four or live weeks. Supplies in customary quantities, he said, might be expected after mid-December at prices ranging from £!) to £1.4 in the markets, approximately tbe usual prices during December to February. Mr, C. Cole, a retailer, submitted that all root vegetables should be sold by weight. Cases, bags and sacks should be labelled with*a description of the quality of the contents, and in the instance of cabbages and cauliflowers the number in the container. Mr. Justice Hunter: Do you mean to say you have to buy cabbages and cauliflowers without inspecting the contents of containers? Witness: Yes. His Honor: That's worse than buying a pig in a poke.—Very much worse. Mr. Cole also said that if five bad cauliflowers were found in a bag purchased the loss on these had to be passed on to the price of the remaining good ones. Mr. K. Gunn, assistant to the Food Controller, said experience had been that the fact of men entering camp did not lessen the civilian demand for foodstuffs. The inquiry will be resumed tomorrow.