THE BUTTER QUESTION

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 8, 5 October 1920, Page 7

THE BUTTER QUESTION

Sir,—l write' as a small sheepfarmer who has no incomo from milk, butter, or cheese, to .tell you how tho question appears to me, after thirty odd years alongside it. I know a large number of dairy farmers, somo of whom have retired witli advancing years to live on the rental of the farms, when* for years they worked long hours, seven days a week, and a greater number who are still doing so. In both cases the margin of profit when they entered tho business was uncertain, and not likely to be more than in other lines of business, but they made tho venture for the sake of n healthy o]ien-air life for themsolvos and their children, while tbfc majority of their contemporaries ohose town life, with more certain wages, and corveniences. The dairy farmer liera to-day, as an outcome of war shortage, has the prospect of an unusually good rjiturn for his labour. The result of theso high prices will bo to bring his earnings per.hour a little nearer those of tho wharf labourers and others, after 5 pur cent, is allowed him for the capital he has invested. Another insult is that the price of butter for consumers is likely to rise considerably. This means that they must cither spend more on butter or eat less of it. In order to avoid this natural result it is proposed that enough buttisr-for New Zealand use be taken from the butter farmer at last year's price, and that ho shall thus ensure consumers, rich and poor alike, from any shortage or extra cost. The cheese man may be asked to share the loss with him, perhaps tho wool man too, perhaps this wholo. community, by taking the balance-of puce % oithe Consolidated Revenue, To me all theso proposals appear at variance with the teachings of history and economics and common sense. If we.make up the differenco out of the Consolidated Revenue, or any otlier croup of taxpayers, tho considerable cost Kng » IT added to the total of unproductive expenditure. If the but tor farmer' is to piwido butter at the lower figuro and stand the.loss, the absurd position is amved at that they, a group of workers who work longer continuous hours for a comparatively small wage, are to be penalised in order to provide cheap butter for many others in a much better financial position than themselves. Tho increased- to ? town house at open market rates will not be more than sixpence a bead per weok, but to tne small butter fanner it would mean a loss of five pounds a weok for the season, and in many cases moan tho difference botween succcss and of dairy farming - baa beeu open to all tho' community to lndulgo in for many have started it with, capital only saved out of ,wages. All the money they have earned at it has bean worked bard for, and to reduco their earnings by law when a _ favourable season for thein conies, is thorough bad statesmanship. The truth is that butter is a highly concentrated food. of which too much i 9 often eaten from a hmlth standpoint, and an average reduction of consumption m New Zealand of one-fifth the present amount consumed, would hurt nobody. ' The foolish way we spend money on food is shown even more clearly in th» matror. of bread, seeing it is customaxy to feed our children on whito bread, whereas if wholemeal bread were compulsory the price would be less and tho children better nourished. 1 I believe thoro ore some folk with small fixed incomes who would suffer if butter rises in price, but ( to refuse to pay the maker market price would make -, equal suffering in another direction. I hope our Legislature will bo wise euougli to leave tho opo.i markot to decido- tho price. I am, -^.ATHKSON. Tiratahi, Ek'tahuna, October 1, 1920.