The Chronicle LEVIN: MONDAY, SEPT. 14916. PATRIMUTISM AND PELF.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 25 September 1916, Page 2

The Chronicle LEVIN: MONDAY, SEPT. 14916. PATRIMUTISM AND PELF.

T'.'mc enough hai> ehi already to prove tlie folly of the Now Zealand eii o-.. factory directorates that rejected tin 1 liriti-h Government's offer of li"t\\fv!i 8<! and Od per lb for the bulk ul the dominion's output of checse for 101(5. By a few rapid calculations with pencil oil paper, those fift/torv directors who rejected the offer were able to show that much greater profits couljJ lie cured by selling in the open market, but they overlooked the fact that the oversea freight steamers tint t'-e Hrit>h Government would. have provided will not be available for private exporters. Already the dairy factory directorates throughout Xew Zealand 'are perturbed at the prospect of finding but insufficient- shipping ac-eomuiod-itiou for their products, and the chances are that in the flush of the season there will be isuch an aggregatien of nnexportable butter and cheese in New Zealand (through lack of proper vessels. to carry the produce abroad) that serious monetary loss will be incurred. Tt seems to us that certain chce.-e company directorates, by their grasping characteristics, have landed the whole of the-pastoral communities in a prospective lops. and the thought! recurs, that bad Xew Zealand "been leM-i tolerant of the fetish of "individual liberty in business matters" the true interests of Xew Zealand, as well as the more-important- interests of the lUritish Kmp : ro as a whole, would have been better served. The broad aspect of the matter was well put by a J. 1?. of Auckland, at a meeting of the executive of the Auckland Provineia Farmer*' Union, when djseussing the recently-uttered protests of certain pastoral'.sts against the X'ew Zealand pnstoral : st having been compelled, lastyear. to sell meat to the British Government at rates below {hose realized .in the oikmi market by certa.in outsiders. Mr Makgill's remarks followed on those of a. Mr E. Somerville, who said that "by commandeering the X'ew Zeaaml export, and leaving alien countries to obtain high prices in the market. I'ritain wan bleeding, as it were, her own children, and giving aliens the rsitiews of the war. He proposed that they protest against the continuation of the j)resent methods of dealing with the surplus export of lamb and mu'tton. Audi ask that X'ew Zealand producer be placed on the same footing as the producer." This protester overlooked (or ignored) the fact that the Brit-'sh Government had fixed. a

price well in advance of pro-war rates, nitrl tin' -further .fact that had there been 11 o war the prices would have rein nined at the lower (normal) rate. C'oinmentinir on the broader aspect of the case. Mr Makgill said:—"As a mater of fact, the New Zealand producc was very fortunate in that Australia In.st year was not in the market. Otherwise New Zealand meat, and also the dairy produce would not hare got i.way. because New Zealand had the ships whicW would have been apportion-

Ed to Australia. The Imperial authori- • tics were in a. difficult position. At first sight it seemed unfair that Now Zealand should have to "pay the piper while outsiders reaped the benefit of ii i«s>« pnees. The Hoard of Trade has to feed the civil population of the United Kingdom. If the Board had controlled the export of all meat going into the United Kingdom, the Argentine would have refused its export to Britain. He would not like to see in time of trouble the. present principle of controlling the meat supply abrogated. The Imperial authorities had given good prices." Mr Somervil'e said the authorities might have controlled the English output. Mr Makcill Tgrerd. It would be a fair propos : - tion. he said.