Untitled

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 623, 12 April 1921, Page 3

Says the Mercantile Gazette editorially, after commenting on the fallen market for meat and wool: “It can be accepted as axiomatic that with the heavy fall in the values of our primary products there must be recessions in other directions. The inflation has been squeezed out of the values of these primary products and so the inflation must be squeezed out of land values and out of wages. If the process of deflation is not helped along in a careful manner there will be trouble, and the trouble would be greatly intensified were any effort made by any section to retard deflation. Deflation is inevitable, as it is imperative, and we can make it easy and comfortable in its operation or we can make it serious and decidedly harmful, the point that must be grasped is that deflation must go on, and that it is beyond our power to stop it.”

Speaking at ft meeting held under the auspices of the Farmers’ Union, Mr Gregor McGregor (Waverley) said that. there was never a time there was more need of co-operation amongst farmers. He pointed out that the auctioneers fixed their own charges and the wool-brokers did likewise. At present the rates for wool storage were the same as when wool was worth Is 6d per lb. There was also a restriction by the woolbuvers that wooli could only be put up twice for sale. On the other hand when it was proposed to raise the freight rates on cheese, the National Dairy Association stood firm and the rates were reduced. He did not think the farmers as a body were fair to themselves. A lot of difficulties could be overcome if farmers were united.