PRICE OF HIDES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 146, 15 March 1919, Page 10

PRICE OF HIDES

EXPORT PROHIBITION CAUSES DECLINE FARMERS IK PROTEST 1. ■ ' . '■ ' Fanners.in many parts of New Zealand are protesting against the action of the Government in prohibiting the export of skins and hides except bv .consent of - the Minister of Customs; The condition ,lai<l down by the Government is that hides may not -be-exported unless they .have first--bear offered at fixed-maxima - prices to. the local-tanners. , These prices are from 2d. to 4d. per lb. less than the ruling market prices. . At skin-sales, held this week the price of hides has'shown a: decline of 2a. to •' per lb.,.'and-this fall - is' attributed • directly<:to'.-the; .'restriction" placed on export. "This is a most serious matter for the -farmers," said .the "Dominion secretary of the. Fanners' Union .(Mr. E. C.- - yesterday. "The fall in -the price ' of. lfides, brought al»ut by the action of the Government, will bring down the price of cattle throughout the Dominion by 105..t0 15s.' per head. Jinny of the - farmers • who ■ are required to face this Wss have bought their stock, in expectation of realising tho market price. The result is that in some , cases the year's ■ work will produoe no profit; The principle,underlying the Government's, inter- ; ;ference"is "thoroughly 'bad.' 'A f special burden is being imposed upon a small /• section of the community." ■ The order embarrasses the exporter as "well as the farmer.' New Zealand' may be reokoned to produce about 400,000 - hides in- the course of a year. The local ' ;tahn*riea can use about 50,000. ' But the' whole 400,000 are now required to lie offered to the New Zealand tanneries, and the export of the 350,000 hides that the . tanners do not want may bo held up whilo the conditions of the order are being complied with. The Government has guarded against one obvious abuse by providing that hides bought by the tanners under the border, may not be resold. ■ The restriction of the export of hides is discussed in tho current number of ■the "Farmers' Union Advocate." "The .- Board of Trade—a Government institution established primarily to keep down the . cost of living—has Get itself.to reduce the cost of footwear to the general public at the expense of the prodncers," says • the "Advocate." "The board has prevailed upon the Minister, to prohibit the ex'port of bides and skins, unless they have •been first offered to the tanners at prioes t fixed by the Government, which are from • 2d. to id. per pound less than the ruling prices. The prices of boots have risen by something liko 50 per cent., a •me whiclt is nearly equalled by tho rise .in the market price of hides, but a pair ; , of boots -worth 28s. now sold at 425. means l a rise of lis. in the price. The 50 per j cent, rise in the price of hides only ac- ( counts, for Is. 6d. to 25.; the other 12s. ! . or'l2s. Gd. is divided between the tanner, ' tho manufacturer,, and the retailer. We I do not doubt that these can each justify the rise for-which they are respectively . responsible,-but we' do object most strongly to "the Board of Trade making out that the high price of boots is due to the excessive price of hides, and,singling , out: the producer for the special infliction of its price-fixing policy".