FRUIT GROWING IN DOMINION

Southland Times, Issue 25746, 9 August 1945, Page 6

FRUIT GROWING IN DOMINION

MARKETING POLICY (P.A.) WELLINGTON, August 8.

Horticulture in all its ramifications could become, not the Cinderella of our primary industries, but one of the major ones, declared the Minister of Agriculture and Marketing, Mr Roberts, at the opening of the New Zealand Fruitgrowers Federation conference today. He regretted that the industry had turned down a crop insurance scheme, and said that the £25,000 a year set aside to assist uneconomic fruitgrowers might be turned into the nucleus of a storm insurance fund. Referring to marketing, Mr Roberts said the Government’s policy was to remove speculation from the man on the land’s produce and markets and give him security instead. Three alternatives suggested for postwar marketing systems were: State marketing, free marketing and producer-controlled marketing. A further method to fit the known facts of the future was a Gov-ernment-Producer Co-operative Marketing Council,” which already had been initiated by the industry through the Fruit Marketing Council for wartime and stabilization demands. Discussing the fruitgrowers substantial losses this year by hail and frost, Mr Roberts said most of the hail-damaged fruit could now be absorbed and marketed. NUMBER OF DIRECTORS

Considerable discussion took place upon the number of directors the Federation should have. It was decided that the number should be six, one each for Auckland, Hawke’s Bay-Wel-lington, Nelson, Marlborough, Canterbury and Otago. It was decided that the reduction should not take place for 12 months. It was decided that the. payment of the directors should be increased to £2/10/- daily and transport expenses while travelling and attending directors meetings or the annual conference and that their honoria be increased to »75 a year, the president to receive £l2o. A Redwood’s Valley remit, asking that in view of the continual increase in the cost of production, prices should be so adjusted as to give the grower a payable price for all his fruit was aP A r remit from Hills that the retention of £25,000 out of the subsidy be discontinued as from the beginning of the 1945 season was carried.