DAIRY FARMERS' CASE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 84, 6 November 1939, Page 6

DAIRY FARMERS' CASE

INADEQUACY OF GUARANTEED PRICE

The complete failure of the heads of the dairying industry to enlist the sympathies of the government, by increasing the guaranteed price in the face of the recommendation of the 1938 Advisory Committee, and also in the face of the growing production costs, was recited by Mr Sinclair in a telling address. Sketching the exhaustive inquiries made by the Advisory Committee in its sitting for 28 day.- he said that never before in the country's history had the industry been investigated so closely, and the result had been the discovery of that elusive individual 'the average efficient producer.' On this basis it Avas unanimously recommended to the government that the price be increased to lfi.7od per lb butterfat or i l n id in the dairy company's payout.

The government had turned a consistently deaf car to all the representations made by dairy confercnces throughout the Dominion that this fi,gure should be recognised, refusing to consider even the representations and unanimous decisions iof the Dairy Industry Council and the New Zealand Dairy Board. Financial Chaos. The reason Avhy the government

found it impossible to increase the payout was that it feared to increase the deficit in the dairy industry accounts, as the finances of the country were in such a chaotic condition, and if the recommendation were accepted the deficit of I*4 millions Avould probably be increased to two millions. Yet there had been nothing to prevent the Public Works Department from increasing the wages of the thousands employed under its various schemes by ~>s per week. Constitutional Lines.

Appealing to fanners generally to use only constitutional methods in pressing for their just rights, MiSinclair said that the Empire; wan now faced with a crisis which far transcended all injustices which might be inflicted in the industry. The farmer was too lo,yal to consider the method of strikes or passive f resistance, which in any case would not get him anywhere. He suggested that they give the Dairy Industry Council one more chance to put the whole case before the government in Wellington. The government must -take notice and it would be an incredible thing if they were to consistently ignore them. If however they still failed to obtain justice then he personally undertook to come back to Whakatane and tell the farmers why. (Applause).