A RANK INJUSTICE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2910, 24 October 1916, Page 6

A RANK INJUSTICE

FARMERS IN THE CHEESE ISDUS- ■ TRY. Sir,—May I crave spaco in your valuable paper to' point out a rank injustice, to a body of farmers engaged in' the cheese industry? Tho Board of Trado, of which tho Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald is President, says that the cliceso companies must pay a tax of jjd. on"every lb. .of butter-fat used in tho manufacture of cheese, .to compensate tlie butter companies who sell in the Dominion-. Tho same Board of Trade did not say last season that tho butter companies sliould pay a tax of 3d. on every lb. of butter-fat used in tho manufacture of butter/ to compensate tho cbeeso factories who lost a penny a lb. on tho season's output througli tho commandeering of onethird of their output. Now, the majority of cheese factories aro small, cooperative concerns started by small bodies of progressive men, who have tried to'better their lot in life, and they aro to bo taxed to build up largo dividends to dry shareholders of proprietory and old-established butter factories. Now, if the Board of Trade, when they thought out their wondor-

ful brainy scheme of robbing Peter to pay Paul, had placed their own per- '■ sonal salaries to be taxed, instead of the cheeso producer, it would havo been a truly liberal schemo, but they are that used to pulling the old cheese cow's tail that they think sho can't kick: How would those same learned gentlemen liko to tako their wives on an unimproved dairy farm and work fourteen hours a day, the,wives putting in four or five hours a day milking cows, as well asdoins; the house-' work, get a turnover of £260 to £300 a year if the season is good, and no cows dio? It is simply magnificent, is " not, especially when you can put on patent-leather boots and white trousers to flounder about in the nice soft mud? Nearly as good as being a member of Parliament—l am, etc., E.G.H.