PRIMARY PRODUCTION

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 102, 27 October 1945, Page 8

PRIMARY PRODUCTION

COUNCILS TO BE WOUND UP

An indication that the Government intended to wind up the primary production councils.was given in the House of Representatives yesterday by the Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Roberts) in the debate on the Imprest Supply Bill (No. 3). When he referred to the assistance the Government had given to the councils an Opposition member asked why the Government was doing away with them. The Minister replied that he had received letters from farmers asking that that step be taken. , _. , v Mr W. J. Poison (National, Stratford): Has the gentleman had a letter from the national farmers organisation? Mr Roberts said he had had a letter from the national Farmers' Union, but farmers' organisations went under so many aliases that the position seemed rather sinister. At what time the councils would be wound up did not matter for the present. They had done valuable work and the Government had spent more than £30,000 in organising them. The dealings with the farmers had been one-sided. Although freezing workers and others had been declared essential, the farming industry had never had that declaration because the farmers wanted, to dispense with the services of workers when they wished. Mr S. W. Smith (National, Bay of Islands): The Minister knows that's not correct. • ■' Mr. Roberts: Certainly it's correct. They could have been declared an essential industry if there had been a sense of equality on both sides. If New Zealand wanted the farmers to be continually on the increase m production, the farmers should not have their efforts thwarted by slumps and low prices, and to that end the guaranteed price had been the very groundwork. ; The Opposition wanted to put into its election policy the abolition of the guaranteed price. Mr. A. S. Sutherland (National, Hauraki): The abolition of the Government. The first place in which to begin was New Zealand, as had been done, continued Mr. Roberts, and it had to be seen that the price level did not go to a height that might be undermined by other countries. It had not been forgotten that Britain was the best customer.