HONEY STOCKS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26693, 12 February 1948, Page 8

HONEY STOCKS

CONTINUED SHORTAGES GROCERS EXPRESS CONCERN Serious concern at the shortage of honey last year was expressed by delegates to the annual conference of the New Zealand Master Grocers’ Federation yesterday. Several delegates expressed the opinion that this shortage was due largely to the use of honey for manufactured products. Mr S. Parsons (Wellington) urged the federation to take up the question of honey prices, because due to the low authorised price, supplies which should have been sold to the retail market were being diverted to manufacturers, and consequently the only way in which grocers could obtain supplies was to buy at retail prices themselves. • . “ There was no honey for sale to private consumers in Hawke s Bay last year,” said Mr A. A. Kelly (Hawke's Bay). The only way to overcome this shortage was to grant more sugar to commercial users such as ice-cream manufacturers. He wished to make an emphatic protest against existing conditions. “No honey was sold to manufacturers in Marlborough, last year, the bulk of supplies being sold by the producers at the back door,” said Mr F. H. Southgate, the Marlborough delegate. "We know that the black market in honey is flourishing in parts of New Zealand, but it is unlikely that the Government could take any effective action.” Other delegates stressed the point that honey producers would not appreciate the Grocers’ Federation telling them how to run ther business, and it was decided to take no further action in the matter. “We have been getting a raw deal with regard to sugar supplies. The balance of the December quota will arrive in Invercargill this week,” said Mr A. G. Campbell (Southland). “ Surely if ’ the permits are granted the supplies should be made available for consumers, who were in many cases unable to collect their extra allowance granted over the holiday period, until some time afterwards.” The secretary, Mr R. W. Barker, said that the extra allowance of sugar for jam over the holidays had been granted after special requests from three Grocers’ Associations. The trouble had been that shipping was at that time very short, and an additional difficulty was that the sugar refinery did not open again until January 12. While the granting of extra sugar might have embarrassed grocers in some areas, on the whole it was appreciated. It was finally decided to ask the Rationing Controller to instruct his officers to issue permits for sugar supplies up to three months in advance, because of the existing chaotic conditions.