LESS PORK

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 91, 20 July 1943, Page 5

LESS PORK

FARMERS PREDICTION PRICE NOT PROFITABLE _ The clanger of pork production i'iJlmy-o/I until it vanished altogether unless the price to he paidfc or porkers and baconers was made? more pro/italic was- emjjliasised at a meeting of the Nctherto.i branch* of the i\eu- Zealand Farmers' Union. Ihe above opinion was expressed hv farmers when the following let-, tcr from the Minister of Marketing ' Hon. j. Gm Barclay, was rcad:I have to acknowledge receipt ofktter ° f confirming:: your wire notifying me of the reT solution passed at a meeting of Jar _ mers in your district requesting a iit increase m the price of pig s to Per j m order to arrest the fall inr production. ' Economic Stabilisation "I" reply, I ] lave to adyj|st la the G °vernment has. decided! that, m order to safeguard the economy oi the Dominion, the policy of economic stabilisation must operate 111 respect of all sections of the community. Particular care J,as been. ' taken to ensure that pig producers wdl receive the full price rewards they are entitled to on the basis of those ruling on December 15, 11)42, and the season preceding that date You A\ill have itoted that, under - the Pig Marketing Emergency Regulations, special provision is made* for the payment, of winter premiums for pigs,, and furthermore the pur-* chase of pig meats by the Marketing Department gives an effective guarantee to the producer that he* will receive the prices scheduled in the regulations. It is impossible, without doing an injustice to other sections of the community, and without seriously endangering the whole* success of the Stabilisation Policy,, to give such a substantial price in.-* crease to pig producers as your resolution suggests. Maintain Production, . "I v» T oi!lcl urge .your members to maintain and. increase their production of pigs on the present price* schedule, which, on the evidence of* the prices paid last year, gives ai fair deal to the farmer. You will, admit, B am sure, that there are many other products in short supply and there are certain classes o£ labour also in short supply, and totgive substantial price increases iiv order to encourage such supply in one direction will mean giving in— creases in a score of other direct lions." On the motion of Mr C. Towns— hend seconded by Mr W. H. Chealcy the following resolution was carried: "That this meeting acknowledges receipt of the Minister ofMarketing's letter of May 13, 1943; in regard to pigs and disagrees withL his contention that to 'give any"

price increases would be unfair, tot many other sections oi the community and we point out that allt other sections- have had substantial and successive rises while pig prices, are pegged for most of the year at 1938 prices of (>%d per lb. We woulck point out that the per lb wouldi only be received by a small age of the total pigs raised. We reiterate our previous opinion that, unless pig-raising is made profitable* the suppliers of pig meat will wane to diminishing point. In view of the fact that Australian producers* who are selling on the same market receive Bd. per lb while his fcctlingi. costs are 50 per -cent, lower, we New Zealand producers demand to» be put on' an equal parity." The above, resolution was carricd unanimously.