COMMANDEERS AND PRICE-FIXING.

Hokitika Guardian, 19 February 1920, Page 4

COMMANDEERS AND PRICE-FIXING.

CONDEMNED BY FARMERS

FEILDING, Feb. 13

A large and representative meeting of pastoralists, agriculturists, and dairy farmers was held at Feilding to-day at the call of the Dominion Executive of the Farmers’ Union, to consider the following questions: Are the farmers favourable to the Government fixing the prices of farmers’ produce? Are the farmers in favour of the sale of the following produce to the Imperial Government: (a) meat, (b) wool, (c) butter and (dj and otner produce? In a general discussion, speakers made it clear that they had no time for anything but the open market. The dairymen said that they had a national committee already looking after butter and cheese interests, and the meeting therefore abandoned that phase of the discussion. One dairyman said that the Danish contracts having now ended in England, Danish butter had reached 330 s a cwt. while New Zealand producers were getting 187 s under the commandeer. On the general question, Mr Hugh Burrell said that nothing the Government had ever done in the controlling of prices had been of benefit to New Zealand producers or consumers. He instanced the operation of the commandeer to the benefit of the tanners, while boots were dearer than ever. He strongly objected to Government control of prices, unless the Government found places to which to send our produce. Mr John Perrett (Sandon) advocated a system similar to that proposed in Australia. Under such a system New Zealand pastoralists would control the marketing of their produce by setting up a wool council. “We are dead against the Government controlling our produce or prices,” he said. Other speakers criticised the operations of the New Zealand mills with commandeered wool. “We are buying clothing in New Zealand at prices based on the high prices of wool in London not on commandeer prices in New Zealand,” they said. It was resolved: “That this meeting is not in favour of the Government controlling the prices of wool.” There was some discussion on Mr Massey’s objection to the personnel of the commission chosen by the producers to go to London to investigate the condition of the meat market. It was resolved with enthusiasm: “That the meeting desires the Dominion Executive of the Farmers’ Union to recommend Mr Massey to send the original commission, consisting of Messrs Burrell, Poison, D. Jones, M.P., and Dr Reakes, to London.” The meeting also endorsed the resolution of the Feilding meeting of February 4th, calling upon the Imperial Government either to lift the meat out of the freezing chambers or continue the commandeer until that is done.