1945
As servicemen returned from overseas and existing beekeepers began to increase hive numbers again, interest turned to the cost of establishing hives. Mr CR Paterson, Apiary Instructor at Hamilton, provided figures to set up 100 colonies of bees. Including the costs of the nucleus units to stock them with bees and 10 pounds of sugar for each unit, he worked out the cost at £412/6/8 for the 100 four storey hives. He calculated a total of 315 hours to assemble, paint and fit foundation. Allowing 2/6 per hour for labour costs he came to a total of £39/7/6. The total establishment costs for 100 hives would be £451/14/2 or approximately £4/10/6 per colony.
Branches had been reviewing the recommendations to change the Constitution put forward by the Executive. In order to accommodate the feelings of the few branches that still had problems with the proposal, Executive modified the amendments to the Constitution somewhat. The previous maximum levy payable level of 600 hives was reduced to 450, and the rate per hive was reduced from 3d to 2d. The minimum subscription was set at 5d. A last proposal was in response to the potential breakaway organisation proposed by South Auckand and Waikato beekeepers – that on matters pertaining to marketing at Conference a vote be taken by commercial producers only. The feelings of some Executive members was given with the notation that “Conference to decide what status constitutes ‘Commercial Producer’.”
By April of 1945 it was clear that the season’s honey crop was far below that of an average season. Crops varied from nil to well under half a normal crop. It was particularly unfortunate at a time when honey was in such deman as a food for war-time requirements. Both the Honey Control Board and the Executive had been presenting a joint case for an increase in payout. The application was to cover, retrospectively, all honey supplied to the IMD during the previous season (1943-44).
In the April, 1945, issue of the magazine was the first advertisement from a new queen and nucleus colony producer. Arataki Apiaries (the “Home of Better Bees”) offers a variety of nucs and queens for sale, with delivery from 1st September.
Mr WB Bray, Leeston, vocal opponent of the compulsory acquisition marketing efforts informed branches that the Paper Controller had denied him the paper he needed to print a booklet to “answer to the misleading propaganda which Branches have been subjected to in recent years”. He offered to attend as many branch meetings as he could to answer “those who would plan the industry into a straight-jacket.”
Mr CR Paterson, Apiary Instructor, showed a German wasp nest that had been dug from the ground in Hamilton at a Whakatane branch meeting at the end of May, 1945. This was the first mention to beekeepers of the German wasp introduction that would eventually require changes to beekeeping practices.
The July 1945 conference was held in Christchurch, and was memorable to all who attended due to a fall of seven inches of snow just before conference concluded! It was the best attended conference in recent years with representatives of almost every beekeeping area in the Dominion. It resulted in an emphatic vote against any further measure of control in marketing policy, except for certain essential requirements during the war period. The re-election of all the members of the previous Executive (unopposed) was further evidence that the producers wanted a policy of voluntary co-operation to be carried out.
The Executive’s proposal involved an estimated crop of 3,000 tons. The 1,000 tons supplied to the IMD appeared to be the amount that beekeepers found unprofitable to market on their own account. The market would normally exist for about 2,000 tons at little distributive or administrative cost. Approximately one half of that 2,000 tons would be sold direct to the consumer (and thus not require a seal affixed). The other half of the 2,000 tons would be sold through the wholesale and retail trade and should bear a seal stamp of ½ d per pound. That would provided just under £5,000 per year to the Seals Fund. That amount would enable a payment on the 1,000 tons supplied to the IMD to allow for a payment ½ d per pound greater than has been paid before for bulk honey. A price of 8 d per pound would be sufficient inducement to secure the 1,000 tons required.
Following conference about 20 visitors hired a bus to visit Mr Tom Penrose’s apiary in Leeston, with the 25 mile trip with snow as far as the eye could see. A well known Waikato producer made the comment that Canterbury producers had easy and immediate personal contact with their market in Christchurch, with the crop being produced just on the edge of the city. Mr Penrose’s operation consisted of 300 hives at this time.
Mr Honeyfield, the Manager of the Auckland depot of the IMD, gave conference a full history of honey marketing in New Zealand. He called for support for IMD to allow it to have
- a sound and continuous export policy maintaining the identity of NZ honey in 1 pound containers using the Imperial Bee brand
- adequate reserves of stock to maintain markets even in a poor production year
- a fixed price to establish the market level for local sales to avoid price-cutting
- three standard brands of honey from the Honey Section of the IMD for local sales
- advertising as required within New Zealand to stimulate honey consumption trends
- a continuous supply of not less than 1,000 tons per year for the Auckland blending and storage plant
- the supply of 60% to 70% of the total crop.
On a more mundane note, the Editor announced that the four issues of volume 8, the 1946 year of the NZ Beekeeper, would appear in the months of February, May, August and November. These months of publication continued for nearly 50 years after this change!
At some point after conference, the Minister of Marketing Hon B Roberts announced that “It will not be necessary to continue the Honey Marketing Regulations next season”. The return to voluntary marketing of honey without a ‘commandeering’ of a percentage of the crop had been desired by beekeepers, along with an increase in the bulk price for honey. Two further points of the NBA marketing plan – control of retail prices and the election of a producers’ Marketing Council – remained unresolved. With the announcement coming in the September/October period of 1945, the editorial was scathing in condemnation of the Government’s procrastination.
A letter from Mr WT Herron (Waikaka) called for the reserves of the IMD to be immediately paid out to producers. Seals levy collected during the war period should also be paid out during that period as well, to benefit those who paid the levy.
The “Personal” column of the October 1945 issue contained a range of items. An obituary for Mr RJH Nicholas (Hawera) was printed, describing Mr Nicholas as one of New Zealand’s pioneer beekeepers and one of the original directors of the Honey Producers Association. Along with his brother Mr HB Nicholas he was one of the first beekeepers to make a “really good foundation comb.”
Mr WH Ashcroft (Havelock North) also featured in an obituary. Though Mr Ashcroft was not a commercial beekeeper, his son Mr WJC Ashcroft was running an extensive beekeeping operation from Havelock North.
On a happier note was the announcement of the marriage of Mr A Mawhinney (Te Kawa) to Miss DM Dalgleish (Hastings). Both were well-known correspondents to the magazine in previous issues. The Editor noted the marriage was “An aftermath of Conference. We shall have to ask our President, Mr Field, to keep a tighter rein on members next year.”
Also noted was the birth of a daughter to Mr and Mrs WJ Lennon (Omakau) Executive member and Editor of the magazine. He added, as an editor’s note, that if the Journal was late “blame Sally”, the newborn daughter.
Mr WB Bray’s “An Examination of Honey Marketing Problems” was reviewed in the magazine. Describing the early period of honey marketing, the review said “Many readers today know it by hearsay. Mr Bray lived through the period and the story has the freshness of one with a good memory.” In the foreword to the self-published booklet, Mr WB Bray said “If it appears that the personal pronoun has been used too often, my excuse is that it is inevitable. I have taken an active part and have expressed my individuality without fear.”