FARMERS AND THE COST OF PRODUCTION.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20095, 26 November 1930, Page 15

FARMERS AND THE COST OF PRODUCTION.

ro TH» EUITOU OF THE . hivp read with considerable i«Wt|t you r re p o i.i. 01 ' the Southland Union tiieetiufj, at which a re- . ' *'W»g for an nlliomtd reduction ii ' ian^s ' lv at;es, was discussed. It "Wioua'that the primary prolan T country (i.e., the farmer) Wljef aoiue where, but I fail to _ OW j n or( ii 7 i ar y fairness, < '" rr " huutls' wages, which «'il i ' p ' n I jare< J to the town workWmt. ,9W i! )deed. ' Take, for er k»V* •ttßßberd at J:2 per we6li. If few *9 .i#°d at. all, he lias two or *t tl«, veß» B i V ° OES ' !tU( ! vvorl:s "i us ' 'try 0 «j ® „ f ?' u dsyUght to dark, unfl *ith jK.®" ® u «f}ft.yN- Compare this fcttrk®.. .»i)(J hours of waterside M ° f '> ernDln' 662 '" 8 companies', or wool a»fi ee , 8 ' *® 8 »y Jiothjug of (iqv,a Sltch » » bt "ly wen, IVho are by th, UI " 1 s0 Hel) ! )v0 " ( ,J t |ll p art io!\ ' Vote -huuting politician ?Wa«at. All to '' e out ot nr ~ are mi,, 81 * w;i fe' es and short ''""Setlv a fj - ,by the farmer, in- *** ®en h e .£ ot . il is suggested that employs directly, and has

working about him, and gets such good service from, should have their wages cut down, while those in town whom he does not know and has no interest in, and certainly give him a comparatively poor return tor his money, continue living ui the lap of luxury. ■For 30 years 1 have li\e(l and traded to most countri'es of tlie world, as a Bailor, while the last few years have been spent farming a moderate sized aiva out lie re, paying about As] 000 a year in wages. During this lime it has fiecn my experience that the average farm hand one gets is about a.s good end efficient a type as can be met with in any part of the world, and earns every penny he getsOne can hardly -<o tie- same or waterside workers, for instance. If. is among ship-owiHjrs. aU roimtries, ami the commanders of vessels, and it was my experience, that .the most expensive, slowest, and most ineJiicient ste\edoring in the world was: tirst. Australia, second, New Zealand. This is whore the farmer is entitled to look for a reduction in costs. The Argentine and (South African farmer gets his produce into a ship's hold hi le-s than half what, it costs us, and ue all compete on the same market. [Jis costs of shearing are also away below oars, which ate out of all proportion to (he value Di f wool, at an :;vciag«' juice over the last few years. Not only does (lie shearer get high wages; he gets and demands through the Arbitration Court nearly as much coddling lip a.s a baby in arms al the farmer's rxpen-e. All this nonsense is called ''keeping up the standard of living" of Hie so-called worker. There hs nothing t» oroiecl liie employer's standard of living or intere.s' en his invented capita]. Irrespective of the very low earning power of a high percentage of our workers, the law demands they be paid a high wage to keep up a high standard of Jiving. 't appears to me that this bubble is nearly bursting. If a half-caste I'atagonian or an Argentine gaucho can produce a bale of wool for £5 or a fat la ml. for IDs,- the world's bu yer.-j are certainly not going to pay twice as much for the pleasure of keeping' up a high standard of living in New Zealand or any other country. -Yours, etc., Ph'Ol.irCKl;. Noveialjer 25th, I'JijO