BUTTER RATIONING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 80, 11 June 1943, Page 5

BUTTER RATIONING

SHOULD NEVER BE NECESSARY

MR .1. A. MURDOCH'S VIEWS

Speaking at the annual meeting of the East Coast Dairy Association in Whakatane last Saturday, Mr J. A. Murdoch, member of the New Zealand Dairy Board said that he considered that if the Government were to take firm and definite stepsi to control the necessary labour for farms in this country there should be no need whatsoever to talk of butter rationing, for the farmers then could supply all the butter that was required. "When 1 read that statement by the Prime Minister,' 7 .said Mr Murdoch, "that he could AMsualise' the time when butter would be rationed in New Zealand, I.' said that 1 regretted the statement A'ery much. It simply means that instead of the .'}(),()()() tons, consumed on the local market Ave Avill be allowed only' !•>,()()() tons, bringing it down to Boz per person Avhere lib A\as usually consumed. On a reasonable basis of lib per person per Aveek this Avould be reduced to Mr Murdoch Avent on to say that cables from Great Britian had apparently asked for a greater supply of butter and cheese and the Goa ternment going on past figures had considered the country unable to produce it. I say avc can! he added. The Director of Manpower had made some very unfair statements

relative to the. farming community. Farms, lie maintained could, be run by unskilled and. boy labour. That was a statement, of a man who did not know Avhat he was talking about? The same man, considered that the men employed, in freezing works were essential and they had been released from army training. How then, asked the speaker, are you going to keep your freezing works going if you don't, allow the. farms to grow the stuff you put into them ? "After all the. farmers are the men who are keeping this show going to-day," concluded Mr Murdoch, "yet we have to stand by and sec our farms depleted of labour. Women and children working as never before. If the Prime Minister would only assist us by giving us the necessary labour, I am certain that he would then lij,\d it quite unnecessary to ration one of our most stable products."