HONEY BOARD’S POWERS

Taranaki Daily News, 28 July 1932, Page 4

HONEY BOARD’S POWERS

FEARS OF THEIR CURTAILMENT* ASSURANCE FROM MINISTER* By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. Fears that' certain interests would brincr pressure to bear upon the Government to secure the abolition or curtailment of the powers of the Honey Export Control Board were expressed by a deputation from the Beekeeper* Association which waited on the Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. C. E. Macmillan, to-day. . Agreement with the policy being followed, by the board wa# LprJssed by speakers, and the Minister gave an assurance that he would watch the interests of the produced. The Minister said he did not tMc they had reached a stage where they were discussing the abolition of th* board. “The departments reports bear out what you say with regard to your prices,” he said, “but the department suggests these prices were obtained, by an expensive method. A total of £45.000 was spent in advertising. That would not be much if you had plenty of aoods to sell, but when you hav* only £50,000 worth, for the sake of argumentj it would be too expensive. I realise you have established a good name in Britain and. that your adver- , tising charges .can now be reduced.” The Director-General of Agriculture, Dr. C. J. Reakes, said. Mr. Rutland, a member of the board, was at present in London, and he was going closely into that question with the ageitf. The Minister said, the producers could rest assured that as far as. he wa* concerned he would do everything to help them retain the goodwill and th* trade mark they, had established in Great Britain. If the Wrd were functioning satisfactorily for the producer* it could not bo aS bad as some mad* out.