FIXED MAIZE PRICE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19803, 3 December 1938, Page 4

FIXED MAIZE PRICE

EARLY INCREMENT URGED ATTITUDES OF GROWERS GD RISE DURING SEASON An early statement in reply to a request for an increment on the fixed minimum price for maize is being sought by the Poverty Bay Maize Growers’ Association, which intends approaching the Government on the matter.

The position was considered at a meeting of the executive - held in Waerenga-a-hika on Thursday evening, Mr. C. Tietjen presiding, when members decided to meet representatives of the Merchants' Association to arrange a deputation to the two district members .for' Parliament; Messrs. D. jW. Coleman and A. G. Hultquist, who are to be asked for their cb-operation.

Those present at the meeting maintained that they were led to believe that the price of 5s per bushel, f.0.b., Gisborne, was fixed for three months only, and that it would be reviewed at the end of September, when growers expected that a slight increase would be made in the price. However, despite communications sent to the Internal Marketing Department, no indication of the department’s intention had been secured.

Members considered that in order to cover losses incurred by storing the maize for several months, the price should be increased gradually throughout the season until there was an increment of Gd per bushel on the rate for the beginning Of the season. If that policy were adopted, the price for the latter months of the present selling season would be 5s fid. Sharp increases were deprecated, and those present contended that the rises in the minimum price should be not more than Id per bushel at a time. Unity Sought An appeal was made for unity among growers and all Others concerned, and those present took strong exception to a recent statement relating to the future trend of the market in relation to the Internal Marketing .Board’s policy. They pointed out that the association had not yet relinquished its efforts since meeting a representative of the board in June fo r the purpose of securing a satisfactory increment from October onwards for those growers who were unable to sell their maize for early delivery.

It was felt that pessimistic statements of that nature might do much to counteract the work the association was endeavouring to do for the benefit of all miaize-growers in the district, and in view of the consideration £iven by the board in the past to representations from the growers’ association and that the association had not yet had any direct intimation from the .board on the matter, they were inclined to think that the growers' claims for a reasonable increment would receive sympathetic consideration from 1 Mr. F. R. Picot’s department in .the very near .future.