WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 1 April 1921, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE QUESTION OF THE DAY

PRICE OF BUTTER

(Our Special Correspondent;

WELLINGTON, March AU

A question of more than passing interest to wage-earners and house-wives u lining discussed by a conference of producers and dairy factory representatives sitting in Palmerston North today. ft is the price of butter on the expiration of the Imperial contract tomorrow. Since that contract was made at the beginning of the season the producers have been receiving 2s Gd a pound for their butter, while the consumers have been buying it from the retailers at 2s Ad a pound. This lessened price to the consumers has been made possible hv the Government subsidy of (id a pound, one half of which , has been employed in reducing the loca 1 | pri e and the other half in covering the cost of handling. The net elfect of, this, of course, has been to give the consumers their butter at Gel a pound cheaper than they would have got it without the subsidy and to add a corresponding amount to the public expenditure. Briefly put, the butter consumers have received cheapened butter at the expense of the general taxpayers and as the butter consumers are largely Lite general taxpayers the operation has amounted to little more than transferring money from one pocket to another with perhaps a little leakage during the process. THE FUTURE. Of course the conference being held in Palmerston North to-day will not necessarily settle the price for the future. The producers will have a free market from Friday, that is they will he j,Lie to offer their butter how and where tliev please. But their demand in the past has been for a price corresponding with the price they could obtain at Home. ‘'London parity” has been the burden of their claim. But with the advent of the northern spring and a largely incieased production the ’'London parity’’ is not half so attractive as it was when the seasons in the two hemispheres were reversed. At present it would give (lie local producers about 2s a pound. An embargo has been placed upon the export from the Dominion during the mid-winter months and even with ibis precaution il may he necessary to make some demands upon the Imperial supplies in store. The producers, therefore, are insisting that the “London parity” should no longer operate and that they should he given a price to cover the additional cost of winter production. Ibis is the point to-day’s conference is pressing upon the attention of the Govei iiment. COAL DISPUTE. Now that (lie holidays are over the public is turning its attention again to the lung standing coal iP pule to find that it is drilling into what threatens to become a very grave crisis. The owners have declared they will not meet the men in conference till the latter withdraw their demands lor the abolition of the contract system, a. six- j hour day from hank to Lank, a live-day ■ week, t!:e abolition of the afternoon | shift, payment for holidays and payment for time lost, and the seerotary ol the Miners’ Federation lias reiterated i lie determination of the men to stand l;y their demands. Just before Lite holidays the Federation presented what il would have had the Mine Owners’

A ■: o. i;i l i- hi regard as an ullimaliyn, declaring; that unless a conference wore arranged within so von days t-> discuss the claim for a new agreement the Ec ic‘.!tion would take such stops as it

mi .dii doom necessary to force a conference. Unless the men are merely putting up a big hluff the position is ail extremely perilous one and it is not pleasant to contemplate what may happen during the next lew weeks il the parties remain as determined as they appear to he at the present time. THE NEW POLITICAL PAP TV.

In a reference to tin* National Progressive and Moderate Labour League appearing in the “Dominion” this morning, it is stated that preliminary meetings for the discussion of the proposal to form the new party have been held in several centres within recent months. At least one such meeting was bold in Wellington during the' short session of Parliament, and was attended liv some of the independent members of the House of Representatives. These members, who went hy invitation, met some business men and took part in a general discussion, lint they did not understand that any definite, decision had been reached, and some of the members, at least, have been surprised to find within the last few days that the party is now in possession of a general organiser and an acting-president, as well as an acting executive, consisting presumably of the men who initiated the movement. These are facts which have been generally known’ for some time, hut it is not correct to imply that the promoters of the movement have appointed themselves office hearers in the new party.