PROPOSALS REJECTED

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 88, Issue 7, 10 January 1944, Page 6

PROPOSALS REJECTED

APPLE AND PEAR PRICES (P.A.) Dunedin, Jan. 8. Meetings of apple and pear growers at Ettrick and Alexandra this week unanimously decided to reject the Government’s proposals for the marketing of the 1944 season crop and to refrain from nominating members for the proposed advisory council. A further motion carried was as follows: “That the New Zealand Fruitgrowers’ Federation endeavour to secure an agreement with the Government to purchase the apple and pear crop at last season’s schedule prices, including minimum grade, and that the difference between year’s loss of £90,000 be used to increase the Dominion average up to 6s lid a case, the cost of production including the latest increase in wages.” HAWKE’S BAY OPPOSITION (P.A.) Hastings, Jan. 8. At one of the largest meetings of fruitgrowers ever held in Hawke’s Bay, the new scheme by the Government lor the handling of fruit for the 1943-44 seasov was rejected without dissent. On the motion of Mr. F. H. Reid the meeting decided to urge the Minister of Marketing to withdraw the scheme and resume the State purchase of pip fruit, giving the growers the advantage of the extra money that the Government was prepared to spend on the scheme rejected by the growers. The meeting, which lasted nearly three hours, was addressed by Mr. Archie Brown, of Nelson, who outlined the wage provisions. He condemned the scheme as having nothing in it for the benefit of the individual grower. Mr. R. Paynter, a member of the Advisory Committee, presided.