A NATIONAL CO-OPERATIVE MARKETING SCHEME

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 220, 11 June 1921, Page 9

A NATIONAL CO-OPERATIVE MARKETING SCHEME

OUR PRINCIPAL PRIMARY PRODUCTS.

Sir,—As your paper is widely circulated throughout the country districts of the Southern portion of the North Island, and therefore comhianfls a largo audience- of farmers, 1 am taking the opportunity of bringing before your readers the following remit which will bo discussed at the Dominion Farmers Union Conference at the end of July:— “A national co-operative marketing scheme for wool, meat, and dairy produce, to bo controlled by producers through boards on which the Government have representation, to be financed by special taxes car-marked! jfor film above purpose, the balance to bo used for sinking fund, ety., for a Government loan to provide a Dominion shipping lino, the said line to lie controlled by representatives of each of the aboyo industries, together with representatives nominated by the Government. I make no apology for giving thei - most publicity to a matter of such vital importance to every farmer, lie, 1 o Inigo or small. Before proceeding furihoi. t would be as well to point out that it i the exporting end of the . scheme is intended to cov • exception of wool, which would bo eon trolled at'the local sales by the Dominion board acting in the board in London the local mat would be. as free ns at P reso it meat and dairy produce a Ithough it would be favourably affected byth nriees arranged in London. I would also point out that the vexed T iestl "" O taro on wool (which already costs Hrn wool-grower about JifiO,ooo per annum) recovering cost of wool-pack , t [ho strike clause in buyers’ contracts, would be practically in the grower J ' n The not new. and has been successfully carried out in Denmark fo nmnv veara by the dairy produce: a <f (Iml?country, with such w . ell - kno ' V '’ bfnetory results that \t is enlarge upon them, except to that Danish, butter has topped the market for vea"s. The farming <omm-uniy |q the largest, manufacturing body <> primary products in the Dominion, and vet they are the only body of Tnnn ’ tarers who do not fix a price ™oduot. bub go m hand to the

buyer and ask him what ho will be pleased to give. What has given the trust its strangling grip upon both producer and consumer? Nothing but its power of concentrating,many resources under one control, thus being able to influence tho market in its favour either as buyer or seller. It is impossible for a defenceless man to fight an armed one, and tho remedy is to meet trust methods with co-operative combination, fight poison gas with a more potent one. -Voluntary methods are useless, and only compulsion will bring every farmer into line; to be successful the movement must bo national. Ara tho farmers of this Dominion satisfied with tho existing methods of marketing their produce, and being at tho mercy of shipping combines and trusts? If they are, I cun only say God help the farmer and New Zealand, for he will soon share tho fate of his American brother. If not, what are they proposing to put in its place? Personally, I think we should follow Denmark’s example and apply the principle to our wool, meat, and dairy produce, and also control tho bridge between ourselves and our market, viz., the shipping. The whole question of produce prices and freights is so interdependent that it is vital to any scheme they should ,bo considered together. Although the proposed "Board of Mercantile Shipping” is a step in the right direction, its financial position is dependent upon the voluntary principle, which seems to me <i fatal weakness in a national scheme. I have always been a strong opponent of State control of any industry, but I am a firm believer in State co-operation; it u essential in this case, as we require legislation and taxation to finance the scheme. The issues are very simple. Are the majority of the farmers in this Dominion prepared to adopt a scheme to market their produce as a whole, and own their own shipping under a system of boards controlled by themselves? If so, they cannot logically refuse to submit to .special taxation ear-marked to benefit themselves. I do not propose to interfere in any way with the position as between the farmer and the mercantile firms who finance him; it worked smoothly under the commandeer, and would do so under the new conditions. If tho Dominion Conference adopts the idea, I shall move that the details, such as the constitution of and appointments to boards, finance, taxation, shipping, etc., be referred to the Producers Committee to work out before submitting the matter to the Government. In conclusion, I would ask my fellowfarmers to weigh this question thoroughly, and if they consider the principle of'the scheme sound to help me by supporting it through their local unions and their delegates to the coming Dominion Conference. It is an honest attempt to safeguard our interests both now and in the future, and if ever our industry is faced with such abnormal conditions again we may be in a, sound position to meet them. —I am, etc., P GRIMSDALE ANDERSON. Mahan, Pelorus Sound, June 3, 1921.