PRODUCE AND CONTROL PRICES

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 96, 17 January 1921, Page 6

PRODUCE AND CONTROL PRICES

Sir—lt is to be hoped that the farming delegates, who are advertised to meet shortly in Wellington, will insist upon die decontrol of all ohr primary produce at the earliest possible date. The High Commissioner s cablegram before last advised us that the I‘ood Controller was desirous and even anxious to cancel control of all our produce ou March 31, but the cablegram just received quotes the date as June 30, gnbig as a reason for the extension that the Controller is afraid of the effect an increase in price would have upon tno consumers at Home. Why the political effect of any enhancement in tho price of our products should be considered by the politicians at Homo is difficult to understand, seeing that no control is exercised over the sale of similar Home products which realise in the London and other British markete about double the price of curs, which is admitted by experts to be of supenoi quality. The effect of the extension of pre-war prices for our products shown in tho banking returns just published, which show an increase in advances aurin" the twelve months of no less than a sum approaching fourteen million pounds sterling, which must be largely mopped up byethe enhancement in value of our imports, chiefly drapery and motor-cars, I suppose, and which are some twenty million pounds sterling in excess of our exports for the same period. This can only be met by a rigid curtailment of imports, which should have been riven effect to long ago, or an increase in the quantity or price of our exports, as we cannot continue to outrun the constable” in this matter, seeing that there is no hope of being able to borrow money in London to liquidate such an enormous shortage. . Our only hope therefore is to insist upon an open market to enable us to obtain the economic value for all our productions, which are and have been during the war. greatly in demand in London at prices in most cases more than double those we have been receiving, and less than half the selling price of similar Homo products inferior m quality to ours. - ‘ ' Everybody here is predicting lower prices for oui' products, but tho fact remains that in open markets at Home, wool and meat and butter are quoted weekly by tho High Commissioner at, roughly speaking, nearly 'double the prices current in the Dominion, after deducting shipping charges, and tho wonder to me is that woolgrowers especially consent to. sell a single pound of their wool at these Dominion sales. —I nm, etc _, WOOLGROWER.