24.4*44 No, 26,

NOT FOR PUBLICATION, BROADCAST IN OVERSEAS BULLETINS COR USE ON CLUB TAPES BEFORE ON 2330 D.B.S.T. 24TH APRIL ( i. e, FOR TUESDAY HOMING PAPERS). NOT TO BE BROADCAST IN THE MIDNIGHT NEWS OF 24/25 APRIL. THIS EMBARGO SHOULD BE RESPECTED OVERSEAS BY PREFACING .NY MESSAGES FILED WITH THE EMBARGO

APPLICABLE IN PART TO NORTHERN IRELAND

1944 Crop New Potato Prices and Marketing Arrangements

The Ministry of Food anounces that Orders have been made re-introducing the

general scheme of Potato Control for the 1944 crop and prescribing marketing

arrangements for new potatoes similar to those in force last season, together with

prices ana transport zoning arrangements. The Potato Control system is prescribed

by the Potatoes (General Provisions) Order; the new potato prices and zoning of

transport are contained in the New Potatoes (1944 Crop) Order,

In order to ensure effective distribution of new potatoes, the Ministry will

supervise the purchasing and consigning from the earliest districts, including the

Isles of Scilly, and part of Devonshire,, In the Isles of Scilly, all

growers who have planted \ 'acre more of potatoes, who are not licensed grower-

of who salesmen, must sell their new potatoes to the Ministry Food, will pay the

In appropriate fixed grower* s price for new potatoes delivered f.o.b. St, Mary’s,

Cornwall and the following districts of Deveonshire, viz the County Borough of

Plymouth and the Parishes of Tavistock Hamlets, Bere Ferrers, Tamerton Foliot, St»

Budeaux, Egg Bucklana, Compton Gifford, Plympton St, Mary, Plympton St, Maurice,

-j Newton and and all of acre Plymstock, Brixton, Wembury, Noss, Holbeton, growers 4

will to sell or more of potatoes, unless licensed as grower-salesmen, be required

their new potatoes to authorised new potato collectors, The fixed grower's price

-

at will be paid by authorised collectors for new potatoes loaded f» o„r, by growers

the following stations only:~

Bodmin Rd,

Bude St. Austell

Camelford St.Columb Road

Doublebois St. Erth

Grampound Road .St* Germans St. Ives

Launceston

Liskeard Swinea Road

'C ont ' d Lostwithiol Bere Alston Nancegollan Bere Ferrers

’ Nov,'quay Tomerton Foliot Penryn Tavistock

Penzance Plymouth - Milbay Friary Devonport (G-.w'.r. and. S.R.)

The use of a restricted number of loading stations will facilitate the assembly

where the of now potatoes for transport to the selected distribution points Ministry

will allocate the potatoes on arrival.

will Up to and including June 16th, 1944, authorised new potato collectors buy

Cornwall and the on behalf of the Ministry all new potatoes offered by growers in

above mentioned districts of Devonshire. Similarly, regulated loadings will be

be accepted until July 10th. If the season justifies such action, later dates may

substituted for the close of unlimited loadings on June 1 6 and regulated loadings

of which is to on July 10 and a later announcement will give particulars' any change be made.

In other districts trading will continue through the normal licensed channels

of to unless subject to zoning rail transport and emergency requirements. Growers,

licensed to merchants as grower-salesmen, may only sell new potatoes licensed potato

or licensed potato buyers or through licensed auctioneers* A licensed grower-

salesman holding ’a licence issued by the Potato and Carrot Division of the Ministry

to of Food, St. John’s College, Oxford, may sell his new potatoes any buyer, but,

in to this he issued addition holding licence, must also have a retail licence by his

local Pood Control Committee if he wishes to sell by retail to consumers.

’ It has already been announced that growers fixed prices for early potatoes will

be reduced below last season’s level by amounts varying from £2 per ton at the beginning

of the season down to l0s.0d. per ton at the end of July* The potato acreage payment

of £lO per acre will again be made this season and the effect of the reductions in

growers’ prices and of the acreage payment is to bring about a lower range of con-

sumers’ in prices, which, Great Britain, start at 4d* per lb* on April 30, and reach

1-yd. per lb. by the first week in August* In Northern Ireland, where the season

begins on June the scale of maximum retail at er 12, prices commences 38. • P lb* on

date that and decreases steadily to per lb., the price operating from July 28 to August 10.

The of transport new potatoes from the Isles of Sicily is prohibited, but elsewhere in Great Britain movement is permitted with the exception that new potatoes may only be sent by rail:- /(a) into - 3 -

/ (a) into Dorsetshire, Wiltshire, Somersetshire and Gloucestershire from Cornwall, Devonshire and Herefordshire;

(b) into Devonshire from Cornwall, or into Cornwall from Devonshire;

and

(c) into Carmarthenshire, Radnorshire, Cardiganshire, Monmouthshire,

! - Glamorganshire and Brecknockshire from Pembrokeshire, Hereforshire and. Shropshire*

MINISTRY OF FOOD