VEGETABLE INQUIRY CONCLUDES

Southland Times, Issue 24599, 22 November 1941, Page 8

VEGETABLE INQUIRY CONCLUDES

COMMENT BY CHAIRMAN (P.A.) WELLINGTON, November 21. The Price Tribunal, which is inquiring into vegetable prices, today heard a survey on the marketing of vegetables given by Mr D. K. Pritchard, instructor in vegetable culture, Department of Agriculture. In this several recommendations were made for means of assuring growers an adequate return and at the same time lowering prices to the consumer. Mr Pritchard drew the attention of the tribunal to the fact that in 1912 a royal commission had inquired into the cost of living when exactly the same causes as had been mentioned in the present inquiry had been advanced. The evidence nresented by Mr Pritchard and Mi- G. R. Holmes, a senior officer of the Fields Division, who dealt principally with the marketing of onions, concluded the hearing, which had occupied six days.

A suggestion that man power could be imported from the Cook Islands to help to meet the labour shortage in the market gardening industry was made by Mr W. T. Goodwin, assistant director of the Horticulture Division. He was Director of Agriculture iri the Cook Group for three years. The population of Rarotonga had doubled in recent years, he said. He had found the residents very apt and they would be quite suitable as market garden labourers. Their main difficulty was getting to New Zealand because they had no money. They could hardly raise 20 pence, let alone the £2O fare. The chairman, Mr Justice Hunter, thanked the organizations which had been represented for the care taken in compiling their evidence. He said 50 to 60 written statements had been received from various parts of New Zealand. These would be considered by the tribunal, which would send its report to the Minister of Supply. The chairman mentioned that the Press reports had been valuable from the public point of view and very useful to him as day-to-day summaries.