ADDRESS-IN-REPLY DEBATE

Chronicle (Levin), 19 July 1946, Page 7

ADDRESS-IN-REPLY DEBATE

-Press Association

MR. THORN AND THE FARMERS

By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON, July ls. Althougli at the conclusion.of the i'ormal business of the House of Ilepreseutatives this afternoon, Mr. J. Thorn actually rose to his feet to reply, it was found that other menibers still sougnt an opportunity to sjieak, Mr. A. J. Murj dock (Marsden) niaking the first con- ' tri bution of the afternoon., However, j Mr. Thorn had his ehance to reply later, 1 the debate teruiinating befbre the tea i adjournnient. | Mr. A. J. Murdock (Marsden) said j the Governmental's speech consisted of -titi lines of notliing but words, words, words. lt was a pity the (iovernment had lianded the Governor General such a budget of words which gave 110 indication of the Government 's intentions for this session. Nor had. tlie. Prime Minister given the House any iiiforma- | tiou eoncerning his trips abroad, but in | his address-in-repiy speech dragged up 1 ' old grey mares ' ' again. However, ai tlie end of next Oetober, the National Barty would make an announceiuent which would give then 100 jier cent. support at the })olls. Mr. Murdoch, referring to the abolition of the eountry quota, said it axixieared the Members tor Thames, lloskill, Eden and Waima rino had been lioist with their own petard, and the chief Government VVhip's intention to go to Mt. Albert seemed to indicate lie had not mucli interest in his present eonstituency. He considerod that the housing xiroblem would be oue of the deciding factors at the election aud added that there was 110 foundation iu stateineiits by Governnient members that the National i>arty would sell Btate houses. The pos- 1 ition was that purcluise would be ! optional. JNlr. A. G. Osborne (Onehunga) said tliat 75 per cent. of tlie Koskill electorate had gone into the Mt. Albert electorate and the meniber for Koskill was siniply moving into a niajor portion of | that electorate. The Opposition had' been very silent about the Member for j Riccarton. *Not one aere or oue person would lie in tlie Bt. Albaii 's electorate. The loss said by tlie Opposition about; .Members ehanging seats, the better be- j vause tlie Leader of tlie Opposition had j also niade a clmnge. What was going to lianpen to the Member for Wallaee'i There was a suggestioii of coinpulsory | retirenient here. 1 .Mr. Thorn, replying, said Opposition j members had quite failed to reply seri- 1 otisly to the stateiueiits and arguments t of Government speakers. iSlr. Gordon, | tlie previous night, had tried to make it appoar the (iovernment had ruined ; priiuary producers who, he claiiued, were operating 011 104(5 costs but receiv-j iug only 1 0-'i.s prices. Tliat allegation : was quite iucorrect, doclared Mr. ! Thorn. In 10 1,'! the Govermnent up- ' pointed tlie Dairv Industrv C-ost Ad- 1 I ... ,

justment Coniinittee which was given. the tusk of deteruiining liow best to : take costs back to the 1038/30 level. ' The coniinittee included tliree leading' representat ives of tlie dairying indiis- 1 trv and it reported unaniinously tliat Vt' s 'HiOrihi'iii'ndktToiik, if giVen t'fl'ect to, ; would provide a complete settlement of j dairying industrv costs. The Governineut accepted the report in toto and! put all its recoiiiniendatioiis into elfectJ The price of dairy produce in At'igustJ 1943, was raised in the dogree suggest- • eil Ijv this coniinittee as iieeessnry to ; cover all the increased costs the dairy ; iudustry had e.xperienced since 1938/3V. 1 The total additional payment to meet , tliis adjustnieut • was aboiit £1,700,000. j Since then there had been another in- 1 crease so substantial that companies! were ]iaying ls Od for butterfat. Opposition voices: Cheese factories. Mr. Thorn: No. That is a payment : niade by a butter-producing factorv. ,M r. Thorn said the Opposition had j idleged that the Government had confisc.ated the Enited Kingdom Govern-J nient 's lmlk paynients to tlie farmers 1 of New Zealand. That allegation was; ulterly without foundation or fact and! 1 ad been repudiated publicly by lead- , ers of the priiuary producers. He said j tliat since 1030/40 the total farmers' j subsidies that had been paid from tlie ' War Kxpenses Account and Consoli- ; dated Fund, ainounted to £17,307,000 of which £5,812, 000 had been reeouped f rotn the Dairy and Meat Stabilisatiou accounts. The dill'erence of ten milliuiiS' had been paid from tlie War ExpensesJ Account and Cousolidated Fund. It j was iucorrect to suggest that the Aleat I aiul Daii'y Stabilisatiou pools had beeu;' called on to meet ihe liulk of the farm- ! ers' subsidies since 1939/40. j Replying to allegations madc eon-i ceniing tiie wheat growing iudustry, j Alr. Thorn said tliat ueither the Govern ; nient nor farmers deserved the abusej lieing poured 011 thorn by the llpposi- ' tiou. He gave the average acreage and j yield for the ten yearly periods since' 1000 as: 1001/10, acreage 223,000, yield ; 7,000,000 busliels; 1011/20 230,000,' acres and (5,250,000 bushels; 1921/30, j 231,000 acres and 7,250,000 bushels,' 1931/-10, 243, 000 acres, 7,500.000 bushels ; and for tlie live year period 1031/40, 2-14, i'(K) acres and 8,000,000 bushels. ; Production was higher in the war years ! and there lisul been 110 decliue as al- ; leged. Mr. Thorn concluded tlie debate' at 4.25 p.m. j