INCREASING OUR PRODUCTION

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3137, 16 July 1917, Page 6

INCREASING OUR PRODUCTION

AND WAR PROFITS.

Sir -May I ask Dr. A. K. Newman, who'in your issue of 12th inst, states •'all'our beef, mutton, cheese and wool in the coming year is wanted tor Britain," if he thinks that the proper course is to charge for all this produce tho utmost farthing that can be wrung from tho Imperial Government? Does Dr Newman consider that the three end three-quarter millions extra war profits wrung out of the British taxpayers by Mr. Massey makes it easier for the poorer people at home? Does he think that the hoarding of immense masses of butter, cheese, and meat until much of it is tainted and putrid, in cool storage rather than the people of this country should have it at a reasonable price, ia a patriotic move, or likely to assist .he Umpire at this crisis? We are now'being treated to tainted butter only fit for cooking purposes at Is. Sd. per lb., in, order that the stores may be clear to iepeat the process with the coming season 3 produce. , , ~. What is all this talk about doubling our produce for patriotic uses but sheer cant, if we are to charge war profits and. prohibitive prices on all of it? In Australia we have had tho damning fact! that at a crisis like this millions of 1-usJi-els of wheat have been purposely allowed to rot or become useless, because the producers did not get tho price Unwanted. Here in New Zealand, nhilo e fowls' wheat has been selling at is. Cα. per bushel, a heavy import tax is still placed on wheat and flour! Let :ne tell Dr. Newman that this war has shown, more than ever before the utter rottenness of our economic system. While ve have been sending the pick of our young men to the front-while desolation lias been carried into thousands of fainjliea in our land, who have sacrificed tlioir all for'their country, we have witncs?-.»(l politicians, producers, merchants, skin* ping companies, and others, engaged alike in seizins tho opportunity oi unking the most for themselves, while flaunting their patriotism. Tt is an unenru able spectacle.—l ani, etc., NEW ZEALAND.