"BOYCOTT" DEPRECATED

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 44, 21 February 1930, Page 11

"BOYCOTT" DEPRECATED

MR. POLSON'S VIEWS

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

NEW PLYMOUTH, This Day. . Mr. W. J. Poison, M.P., president of the Farmers' Union,, deprecated "the arrogant action" of wool buyers, who, he said, were trying to force the farmers to sell their wool. -.

Mr. Poison added that tho price of wool was too low when it was selling at less than half the cost of production. It was cheaper than its substitutes, and as it was-an essential commodity it was bound to rise in value. He considered it was safe to store wool for a rise and safe to lend against it up, to present values, but the wool buyers were insisting that it must be offered to them. Farmers had not objected when .some wool buyers refused to operate at a time when they considered wool, was too high and had .absented themselves from, the sales. The same.rule of fair dealing and freedom of action should now apply to tho farmers, yet the wool buyers were actually boycotting, those farmers who offered their wool, the unfortunates who had no finances.to carry them through. Tinder, the circumstances, Mr. Poison thought it was.the.duty of the Government to stand behind the Eural Intermediate. Credit Board, which had the organisation, to deal with the matter, anS to' assist that body to finance farmers' wool just as it had financed wheat, and other'produce. It would not mean a" greater outlay than £1,000,000 to help, all those -in need pf finance who had no firm or bank prepared to assist them. Meanwhile he regretted to see British wool buyers acting in concert to boycott and artificially embarrass the loyal farmers who had during the war offered to sell their wool at much below the market value in order to help the Mother Country.