FARMERS & SHIPPING

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 209, 29 May 1919, Page 6

FARMERS & SHIPPING

I - INFIUBNCES OF HEAT TRUST I ' DISCUSSION WITH MINISTERS I. '.-i. Numerous matters. arising out of ie- '■' iaits passed by the conference, of the •'■,- /Provincial Farmers' Union [• ■■ were discussed with, the Hon. W. D. b. i JlaoDonald (Minister of Agriculture) and 1 ,- the, Hon. D. H. Guthrie (Minister of i ". lends) by delegates to the conference > x yesterday afernoon. The questions dealt I with included shipping, the operations- of j. r the Meat Trust, and the fixing of prices j- for butter. ~',.,, , ! •Mγ. Mao Donald said that with regard 1 to the question of insulated shipping, he • I ■'■■ did not think' the Government had left anything undone in that respect. Cons'' stant representations had been made to I, ■ Sir Joeeph Ward, urging that more eliipi "'ping should be placed at the disposal ef !■ New Zealand. The Minister quoted from j cablegrams:-he hod addressed, to. Sir •' Joseph Ward on the subject during the !■< last els or nine months. .Every eftort (' had been mode to influence the minds I of the Imperial authorities that the posi- ;■ tion/was urgent so far ae the Dominion [' '■■•was' concerned. : ~,,,, ■, !■ The , president (Mr. G. L. Marshall): Is i •' it not 'a, fact that the Meat Trust has, '('■■ had : influences at work to divert.some i of the"ships that should have come here? i ': The Minister replied that he had been i.'.. advised from England that the influences ! of the trust' had had no such effect,at ; ,i all.-> The same question had occurred to :' ' him after the .Act of last session had i been passed, and it was for that reason i that he had had inciuiries made in the •f . Old Country. The trust was not able i to interfere with the shipping position at !• all. In respect to the operations of the. \: " 'Meat Trust, Mr. MacDonnld said that \ : an export license was not needed this I : year, as the companies were selling meat \*. ".to the New Zealand Government', wnich f obtained supplies from the Home GovI ernment. Tα him that appeared to be \ ' a weakness,'but it was in accordance with I '■■' the legislation passed last year. Of course, i the farmers could help the Government i -.' .in the matter if they .refused to sell ment : to the trust. However,, the position had i not been ]"so severe during the war, as I the Imperial Government had been pnr- ; chasing all the supplies of meat in the i Dominion,'and had even had to obtain ;'• supplies from the Meat Trust itself, At ! the same time the general position -wm ! serious, and he was strongly of opinion ;■■• that, before the meat contract with the ' '. Imperial authorities ceased, a strong ,'■;.'..•■ ■■■commission, should be ■ sent Home from. J:W. New Zealand to inquire into the whole < ..■ j-'.nuestion, but they would have to await ■f. ■•..' the arrival'.of .the two lenders from the ~ Old Country before anything could bo : done. Personally, he believed that tho I Government would ha.ve to send ajrents ; '. abroad to look after the interests of tho ;:■ ' : producers of the country. ' ' ';•••■ J Voices: Send Dr. Ben'kes.' , . Mr. Mac Donald mid he honed thai: Dr.< ■ .Iteakes would be able to go Home within '. .: ttienext few months to go into the wholn t . ..position. The,, commence had suggested :''• that the namesof the represents.tives of i' H/e Meat Trust' should be published, and ! he .could not. see any reason why that = . ehould not be done. :[f ■;"■• A Suggestion Refuted. ',' So far as the fixation of prices was '.'. concerned, ho knew it was a most diffi- '%; ° cult matter to deal with. It had been £~■; said by a farmer at Invercargill that j.'" . every.member of the Government had his t, , price in connection, with the sale of-pro- (•••;■ duce. ~ "When I. go to Invercargill to- ;: morrow, lam going to call that man'a : liar to his face—a. L-I-A-B!" said the j Minister Vith much 'emphasis. ;.. ."■. Voices:. Name! . i ■ Mr. Mac Donald: It was said here yesI ;■' terdav that the' fixation of prices, and, ,r ■•' interferimr with the produce of farmers : was done for political '.purposes. That is i not a fair statement. Whatever lias been i 'done has been done to protect the pto- . ' ' 'diice farmera of this country. I I-.,*" have Veen" 29 vears in national and'local [:' politics, and I have never asked a man 1... or\a woman for a voto yet, and I never \. .will. (Applause.) i' . The Minister on to explain the ', position regarding tho prioes of butter {.',ii ,and. potatoes. With regard to potatoes, •>..;j!;! he said the reason tho embargo had been J;;:;:.: .'placed on their export was because the ;;■■■-price scared from ,£3 .16s. to JJI7, and ;•':■*-afterwards to ,£2O per ton. ' 'He knew it j:; , ;. was unfair"to exercise drastic powers in !.';'."'; connection with the produce of the soil, !.*<■•■ but they were living under extraordinary .:" conditions, and food prices had gone up ;i"; 'tremendously. Therefore, they could : not wonder at the industrial unrest. "■■■'•' When it was found that prices increased ■;u..; tfl such an extent it could be understood r"'. , why the workers asked for more wages, • '■■' and why .'stop-work" and like meetings ; Mere held.' Spoalring of hydro-electric ' ; "power, the Minister said it would be a' : good thing for the coal position in the ; -country if tho cool stores were connect- | ed up .with, the hydro-electric power j .schemes. ■ When the hydro-electric proI" ./posals-.of the Minister of Public Works j ' became'an accomplished fact the farmers I ■ ./'/should; not .rest content until every cool ; ''.store.in"the country was connected with ; the power supply stations. j - Allocation of Shipping. f ■■'". Mr..Guthrie also said- that everything i possihie was being done to try to relieve j tho shipping position. The Government i had been assured that a fair apportionj----/ rnent of shipping had been allocated to j t Ivew Zealand compared ivith Australia. ■■ t\o doubt tho Dominion had been overshadowed by the name, of Australasia, I proper'distinction not having been made i'vii'-' ,'uetween thp bvo countries of Australia I' . and New Zealand. It might be that ; thb "sh'ings had been pu'lled" in favour i w.ot.Australia, but the nosition had been .■ .Ivatciied.very closely, and the farmers of j. ... the Dominion could rest assured that i. \ .everything was being done ,to -protect ;,.. ..their interests. Hud it not been for [.' strikes and epidemics more ships would ; . have been available for.loading in Now i ' At the present timo half a I: season's output of cheese, amounting to [?■■■■■ 417;000 crates, was in;store. With rc- ; gard to butter they had npthiiig to fear, ; ' mid the same could be said regarding ; -wool. They could get plenty of space ;■ "tor the shipment of wool. There was an ; v ■ Jdea abroad that the equalisation scheino :„. m respect to, butter pressed heavily on ... , the exporters. The Government was not ; \. ; , responsible for that. It had been sought i to cohduct the negotiations on business ;„.,■' lines, .and the Butter Committee suggest- }• .. Ed the establishment of an equalisation !•... fund. The Government then agreed to ;■ this proposition. At the present time, ; Oabmet was considering a suggestion to ■:• take from the .Consolidated I'und the ; ... ; money necessary to improve the position • ot those producers whose butter wns -kept : for local consumption at a 'lower price ;.. • than that fixed for export. Dealing with i'- the question of waste lands, Mr. Guthrie ; eaid that Sir Francis Hell was fully alivo I"' to the necessity for such lands being ; planted as soon as possible. Ho felt ; sure that as soon as funds and labour :. were available Sir Francis Ml would go I ahead with a vigorous policy. :