NEW PORTFOLIO

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 123, 26 May 1936, Page 8

NEW PORTFOLIO

MINISTER OF MARKETING MR. NASH’S APPOINTMENT [ Per Press Association ] WELLINGTON, May 25. The Prime Minister, the Hc-n. M. J. Savage, announced to-day that His Excellency had offered the new portfolio of Minister of Marketing to the Hon. W. Nash, and in accepting the portfolio Mr. Nash said that Mr. G. A. Duncan, a member of the Executive Commission of Agriculture, would be appointed as Assistant-Director of Marketing and Acting-Director of Marketing. “The Primary Products Marketing Act makes provision for the appointment of the Director of Marketing, who will be the administrative head of the new Primary Products Marketing Department,” said Mr. Nash. “It also makes provision for the appointment of one or titre AssistantlDirectors of Marketing. At the present time dairying is the only industry to the products of which the Act applies, and accordingly the only substantive administrative appointment immediately required is that of AssistantDirector of Marketing in charge of the marketing of dairy produce. Mr. Duncan has been appointed an Assist-ant-Director of Marketing and his special function will be to .aks charge of the marketing of dairy produce, ai d until the other appointments are made he will also be Acting-Director nf Marketing. Mr. Duncan will continue to hold office as a matter of the Executive Commission of Agriculture. The Commission will be responsible under the Minister for the organisation of the new department and planning of its work and for assisting generally in the administration of the Government’s marketing policy. Until the Primary Products Marketing Department has been fully organised and been authorised to take charge of the marketing of other commodities than dairy produce, the Government proposes to utilise the services of the Commission in the work to which I have referred and in the discharge of its present functions in respect of all our primary industries, but in its investigations it will, however, have special regard to the future extension of the marketing operations of the department and the co-relation of production and marketing. When the department has been completely organised the functions of the Commission will be assumed by the ’Department. The Commission as suc-h will then be no longer required, and the position of its members will In reviewed in the light of the eoiditions then existing. The establishment of the Primary Products Marketing Department will necessarily involve revision of the functions of the New Zealand Dairy Board and the consequent reorganisation of the staff of the Board. The Act provides that members of the ©airy Board’s staff may be appointed to positions in the department, and the Government recognises that it will be necessary to arrange to take over the London staff and members of the New Zealand staff of the beard. These matters will be discussed with the board at an early date and a further announcement will be made in due course.”