PLIGHT OF PRODUCERS

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 37, 14 February 1933, Page 6

PLIGHT OF PRODUCERS

(To the Editor.) . Sir, —The plight o£ the primary producer is such that, unless far more active measures are taken to assist him, his standard of living may be reduced almost to that of shop assistants,' clerks, and others of that class. Take for instance the case of a farmer whose net income has fallen from £4000 to £1000 a year—a dead loss of £3000! If it were not for outside help how could he possibly carry on? How inadequate that help is can perhaps best be shown by quoting the following examples:—2s per cent, exchange bounty; lo per cent, reduction in railway freight rates; free carriage of fertilisers; rebate in rates-of 12% (or 25?) per cent.; free unemployed labour; exemption from income tax when unimproved value of land does not exceed £3000, and from land tax ] when it does riot exceed £500; reduction of land tax to Id in the £1 from a maximum of 7 17-20 d in the £. There are only about 80,000 tanners in the country, ami if tiiis is all the rest of the community can do for them, it is a sorry state of affairs. —I am, etc., FARMER'S SON. Waipukurau, February 6.