MARKET BOYCOTT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 16114, 1 May 1923, Page 7

MARKET BOYCOTT.

GROWERS' COMPLAINT AGAINST

AUCTIONEERS.

[SperlAi' to tho Ueralct.) WELLINGTON, this day.Wellington is threatened with a vegetable famine as a result of a dispute between growers and auctioneers over tho terms of sale. Tho growers hold that in the past they have sent in their produce with tho right to receive the containers back or receive credit for them. Now the auctioneers want to sell tho containers with tho produce, without allowing tho producer anything. To an ordinary grower it is considered this moans an increase in expenditure of about £lO yearly. Market gardeners, therefore, threatened to send in produce loo«e, as a result of which the auctioneers decided that Iho commission on loose produce would be increased from 10 to 12£ per cent., the probability being that if tho produco was sent in loose handling charges would also be greatly increased. The charge at present inada for handling is id per case and |d per half case.' Some growers sent their produce in loose and have had to pay considerably more than this rate. Fori instance.- if a man sends in a dozen cabbages in a case, tho handling charge is Id. but if they are sent in loose he might bo charged as much as £d for each cabbage. Growers complain that they cannot possibly carry on with the treble increase put into operation by tho auctioneers. The growers' protest took shape at a meeting of Chinese and European gardeners, which it is claimed represented 90 per cent .of the suppliers. It was said that in view of the condition regarding containers it would mean an annual loss of £2BOO to the growers present. The meeting decided to endeavor to enlist the sympathy of. Hutt Valley suppliers, with a view to organising a boycott of Wellington auctions if the Auctioneers' Association maintains its present firm attitude.