H—3OA

The result of the year's operations resulted in an average payment to the grower of is. 3d. per case. This was the grower's compensation for production, grading, packing, and cartage to central assembly depot. Included within the 7s. 3d. is the Government subsidy, which this year equalled Is. l£d. per case. This means that the grower's net return from all avenues of distribution was 6s. per case, which is equivalent to a wholesale price of 9s. Bd. on the public market and a retail price of 4|d. per pound in the shop. £25,000 Fund The Council invited applications for grants from all growers who deemed their orchards to be uneconomic and whose own private resources were not sufficient for the grower to put the property on to an economic basis. Bach application received individual consideration by a district special committee acting under the Council. The Minister of Marketing approved each successful application before payment was effected. Up to the 30th June, 1945, the Council received ninety applications, which were disposed of as follows :

HONEY Up to 1942 the Division's sole work with honey had been the running of the Auckland honey-blending plant. This was undertaken originally at the request of the producers in 1938, and was operated on behalf of the industry. The plant served the industry by absorbing the surplus of plentiful seasons at a payable price and by maintaining at least a token quantity of high-standard honey for export to Britain •even in seasons of low supply. Supply was entirely voluntary. In 1942, however, after two seasons of very poor production which occurred at the very time when local •demand was greatly increased by shortage of other sweet foods, regulations were gazetted requiring all owners of twenty or more hives to supply 70 per cent, of their production to the Division to meet military and civilian priority needs. Similar regulations were gazetted in the next season. The " national pool " system thus created appeared to be the only practicable means for supplying military needs and for rectifying the mal-distribution which scarcity created under price control by keeping honey very largely in those areas where it was produced, and as such it was supported by the Honey Control Board' and the National Beekeeper's Association Conference, despite the fact that in local sales the apiarist, acting as his own retailer, gained the wholesaler's and retailer's margin, whereas sales to the Division were naturally on a bulk-price basis.

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— Total District Applications. Number of Applications approved. Total Amount approved for Expenditure. Auckland Hawke's Bay Wairarapa •G-isborne Nelson Blenheim •Canterbury Timaru Oamaru Otago 12 3 2 1 38 3 13 4 1 13 6 2 1 16 1 7 2 6 £ ■1,105 75 200 1,718 100 1,020 188 724 90 41 5,130