DAIRY FARMERS' PROBLEMS

Chronicle (Levin), 5 March 1946, Page 3

DAIRY FARMERS' PROBLEMS

The /.oning of the dairy industry wa a topic disvussed at yesterday's mee, ing of tlie Alanawatu provincial exeeu ti\e (uinry seetiou) of Federate., Fariuers lield in Palmerston North. Alr. N. \j. Renmant said that there were a nuinber of the Rongotea anu Awahuri eompauies' fanners alfected. Soine of those who had built up thesc. eonqiauies had been zoned to the Cheltenham coiupany. He thought th. branches shoutd discuss the matter. '* 1 think we xliould send a remit to the Doniinion Conference and light the present positiou," he said. The indus Iry was having a big stick waved at it. What it wanted.was the two-facton rule. Alr. R. Sutcliffe said tlr.it the .iri "eiple of tlie scheuie was wrong. Alr. Eenmant said that he luxew ot iiu- . ui.uci >..io said that if the coin [laiiy he had been zoned to eould iii, . ;>ay out the same amount as the factur. he had previously supplied, he woul" lose a subscantiai amount. Alr. Roni fia.11 1 moved a remit that the tw>, factorv rule be brought in and tha zoning be abolished, also that any sup [ilier should 1 >e able, to supply a clieest factory if tlie Iatter was eloser tlian tlu >tlier. The (diainnan (Alr. R. Craig) was 1 ; fnvour of the remit. Alr. G. J. Wilde said that he wa. opposed to zoning and to tlie remit also. j The fariuers shoukl supply any factory. ] tliey desired. lle moved an anieudmen I that zoning be abolished, addiug tha j the remit \ins a (langerous oue. i'ai j )f it was just the thin edge of 1I1 weilge of Socialism. The fariuers 11111s have freedoui. Following a furthcr discussion, ] i ivas de'-ided to refer ihe nnitler to v!u j inxt nieeting of tlie executive so tlui j the delegates x-ould obtain nu instrm- l 'ion froiii tlieir respei'tive branches. j Alr. Wilde said tluit it was a niajn I problem to-dav that the fanners coul j oot jdease 1 hemselves. The Leiin brancli, in a remit, co:i tended that, as all the workers wii handled dairy [iroduce had a 40-hou ueek, the fanners should also liave ii The brancli u:ged that a substaniia increase be n.ade in the subsidies ' i'o bulte'r and pork, also that any suc; [•ayiiieiit be made relrospeciive t' .Tanuary ! last. Alr. S. Slua .1 said that he had a>i ) r'ocated for a long tijne that an { economist wns necessary for the indus fry to work out the increases necessarv ! 11 siich cnses. The delegation of Bri | ish 1'uniiers liad an economist to advise •heui. Alr. L. Fleti lier considered that an J increase of uiie-third would nearlv me>* • ■ t.he [lositioa 111 osertime whieh wouhl I be paid to other workers. Tlie nieeling dended to approve 01 i the principle of the remit. Mr. Wilde claiiued that the guaranteed jirit-e 10 -iay was too low. "Tiie legitiinate costs of the industry liad i not been investigatcd. ' With a 4U-hour week for the' industry, Ihe price would have io be doubled. This would -increase the price of butter, but tlie fariuers were ontitleil to conditions similar to tliose of other workers in tlie Doiuiiiion. The cliairinaii said that what ihe industry wanled when discussions were lndd witli the Briiish Goiernment on nrives for produce was that a repre sen'ative of Ihe industry should be present. It' they had a represeniative there would be 110 troulde similar to that over Ihe £28,000, ()()() paid by Britain ro tlie New Zealand Goveni iueii t . They were emleavouriug to -ibtaiii a represeniative so that when he returned the industry could be ea lightened over the discussions. Other speakers were of the same ipinion as the chairnian.