VITALLY IMPORTANT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 97, 10 August 1943, Page 5

VITALLY IMPORTANT

OUR PRIMARY PRODUCTION

Mil W. SULLIVAN'S PLEA

The vital necessity of maintaining primary production was stressed by Mr W. Sullivan., M.P. for 'Bay of Plenty, when speaking in the House of Representatives. On innumerable occasions Opposition members hail, pleaded the case of the dairy fanners, said Mr Sullivan, and now on the eve of the election the Government had consented to heed the appeals in which had been made by Opposition members and the farmers themselvces since prices had been fixed in 1938. In that, year it was estimated by the Minister that the. production of butterfat per cow was 250'lbs. Last season, production averaged 21Glbs., per cow. Actually, that was an increased cost which the farmer had had to bear during the last four or five* years in addition to increased costs generally. M amounted to £2 10s a cow. They were all happy that the Government had at last realised the justice of the primary producers' case. Production was vitally important, because if it were allowed to diminish,. the country's sterling funds and trading capacity would be likewise reduced. Mr Sullivan said there was a disr tinct labour shortage right throughout the primary production areas of New Zealand. In his own district at Rangitaiki Plains, where there was an output of approximately 5000 tons of butter per annum, great difficulty was experienced in securing labour. A small factory on the east coast which turned out (>7(> tons of butter in 1941 had shown a reduced output of 530 tons in the present year owing to manpower difficulties.