LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 24, 23 October 1920, Page 10

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

BUTTER PRICES

Sir—The butter ration in England is now one ounce per week. The average consumption per head in New Zealand i» eight times that quantity. An increase in- the price of Gd. per lb. will, therefore, cost the single man only about another halfpenny a day. To meet this increased cost ho'is demanding another 2s. (id. per week. Is that profiteering? Threepence per week would not buy another pint of beer for pa, nor another picture show ticket for ma. Judge Komi recently stated, after an exhaustive inquiry in one of the best dairying' districts in Australia, that they had indisputable evidence from the factory returns mat the dairymen wero only earning about 7d\ per hour. Is that sweating?—l am, etc., LlYli AND LET LIVE. Sir,—The grocer before the war was content to liand a pound of butter over the counter for a prolit of ljtl. Now he asks for tad. for the same service. He says ho can't handle an article that ha sells within a week for 8 per cent, profit. Bight per cent, per week is a tidy rate of interest par annum, to say notnlng oJ the purchasers attracted who buy goods that carry move than the average"rate of proiit. Few dairy lanuers can earn 8 per cent. on their capital. An expert, who is intimately and practically acquainted with the average dairy farmers returns, recently stated: "If tiie farmer charges interest he doesn't earn wages, and "if he charges wages he doesu t get interest." If it is necessary to supply highly-paid people with butter below iU true value, should not tho distributors ■'do their#bit"r Should all the loss be thrown on tho struggling returned soldiers? Board of Trade please copy.—l I 3 1" MIB PLAY. Sir,-Great stress has been kid' by the labour section of this Dominiou on tho high cost of dairy products, and _ the Government have been asked to subsidise tho .consumors to the extent of .£600,000, which money is proposed to come out of the Consolidated Fund. Where does that reserve come from other than out of the struggling producer's pocket? Permit me to make a suggestion as to tho ■best way to got the JcM,<W. Raise an extra tux on beer of 2d. per pint. I say 2d. per pint so that an extra penny can be charge for those drinking smaller glasses than pint, thus the retailer would nut make tho extra money on smaller glasses. <Jt would necessitate, the retailers keeping- their tills well supplied with pennies, but they would soon get accustomed to that. The best point in favour of this suggestion is that only those who choose need wayltiio tax. A great majority of the men Who are squealing, only want higher wages and cheaper supplies to enable them to buy more beer. If consumers are to be subsidised for every little thing, the producers will certainly have to bo treated likewise with practically everything that is necessary for producing, all of which havo gone up from 100 to 250 per cent, only through the unreasonable wage asked by tho eoealled workers. |Whv does a cow farmer work such long hours? "Oh, he's a. fool,"are the words nearest tho lips of the Labourite. It is jus l ; about time tho Labour Party was made to realise that tho farmer works such long hours to keep him in his fat job on the wharf or wherever it may bo. Without, farmer.) what a prosperous country this would bo.—l ami etc., A-MODERATE DRINKER,