HONEY CONTROL

Taranaki Daily News, 2 September 1933, Page 9

HONEY CONTROL

MARKETING IN BRITAIN. COMMITTEE SEEKS REFORM. Hamilton, Aug. 30. Owing to dissatisfaction with replies which’were received at the annual meeting of the South Auckland branch of the National Beekeepers’ Association a provisional inquiry committee is taking steps to have removed the restrictions of the Honey Control Board on the export of honey. An intimation to this effect was made by representatives of the committee at a meeting of the branch in Hamilton to-day. The members of the committee are Messrs. H. Geddes (Rotorua), E. A. Waters (Ngaruawahia), W. Walsh (Tokoroa) and I. Meltzer (Auckland). Messrs. Geddes and Meltzer acted as spokesmen., Mr. Geddes is the only member of the committee who is also a member of. the association, and he was the only member permitted to remain .throughout the meeting. CONFUSION OF ACTIVITIES. Mr. Geddes said that in the preliminary inquiries made the Department of Agriculture had endeavoured to impress upon the committee that the Honey Control Board and the Honey Producers’ Association were two separate bodies and that the confusion of the activities of the two was responsible for so much. misunde .-standing. An inquiry into the operations of both bodies was sought. Discussing - the advertising levy on exported honey, Mi. Geddes said that as recently as April 6 of this year shareholders in the Honey Producers’ Association had decided to apply to the Government for a loan of £6OOO, which was subsequently granted to the Honey Control Board to meet liabilities contracted by the Honey Producers’ Association. The committee was determined to have the whole position investigated Mr, Meltzer said the inquiry committee was not antagonistic to the Beekeepers’ Association. The objects of the committee and the association were the same,, the interests of the producers. The committee represented a large number of beekeepers, one of whom had 2000 hives. Mr. Meltzer said the affairs of the Beekeepers’ Association, the Honey Producers’ Association, and the Honey Control Board were inextricably linked together. In many instances the personnel was the same. The inquiry committee desired to see the control system on the London market adjusted and free marketing established. REPLY TO COMPLAINTS. Mr. P. A. Hillary, a member of the Control Board, in reply, denied that the board and the Honey Producers’ Association were connected; The board simply arranged . grading regulations. When the Honey Producers’ Association went out of business, the Control Board came into operation to protect the. interests of producers. The board did nothing until March of this year, and it had nothing to do with the penny levy that was imposed. The Canadian producers offered to pay New Zealand £lO,OOO for its Imperial Bee brand, he continued, and when they did not get it, they copied New Zealand by establishing a simlar packing system in England. New Zealand to-day was selling honey in England at the same price as it did years ago. Price-cutting on the local market wad spoiled that market. Mr. Hillary admitted that the quality of the honey on the local market was improving, and that the quality of the exported produce was failing. This was due to the keenness of local competition. The grant of £6OOO made by the Government would be paid in England for the Imperial" Bee brand, as a step in the liquidation of the assets of the Honey Producers’ Association, continued Mr. Hillary. It cost the association £50,000 to establish that asset. The brand now belonged to the Control Board, which represented all the producers of the Dominion. . When asked to withdraw his opposition, Mr. Geddes replied that he intended going to the extent of petitioning Parliament for a repeal of the Honey Control Act in his efforts to elucidate the position. He was still thoroughly dissatisfied. Mr. Sage suggested that Mr. Geddes should resign from the association, but the chairman, Mr. G. V. Gow, disagreed with this view. The meeting approved of an open letter to be sent to Mr. Geddes in reply to his complaints. CONTROL BOARD ELECTIONS. The branch decided to recommend that the Honey Control Act be amended to provide for one vote for the first 2cwt of honey exported, and one vote for every additional ton exported in connection with Control Board elections. It was agreed that the national executive should be asked to constitute a selling export league in the interests of the honey producers of the Dominion. SUGAR FOR BEES. A report was received from the central executive stating that there vyas a prospect of sugar required for feeding bees being admitted into the country free of duty. It was pointed out that in England a similar problem had been solved by the addition to the sugar of a substance to render it unfit for human consumption, but not harmful to the bees, thus overcoming the objection of the Government to making a remission of duty owing to the possibility of abuse of the system.