The Hokitika Guardian WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8th, 1922 THE FARMER AND THE MINER.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 February 1922, Page 2

The Hokitika Guardian WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY Bth, 1922 THE FARMER AND THE MINER.

The relative treatment of the farmei and the miner under the rule of the Reform Government, which promised “the square deal” all round when seeking the suffrages of the people, is rather hard to discern at most times, and particularly in the light of recent events. Recently in the House a gold producers’ petition was up for consideration for losses due to the low price paid for gold during the period of controlled export. Mr Massey had nothing more agreeable to say than that offered to the deputation which interviewed him at Hokitika when last in the dis- j trict. He had approached the Chancel- : lor of the Exchequer at Home, but j without result, and he was sorry he j had nothing m°re satisfactory to tell the gold producers. In the thought for the times to-day, there is an epitome of the Meat Pool Bill. In that remarkable scheme the Government is to back the whole business financially and the country will become involved to many hundreds of thousands of pounds. But there is nothing for the miner! So with the stipulated price for wheat, the Government hap cpmmitted the pop?).- j

try to a large liability on this account, and will have to buy up an over plus of wheat, so not only keeping up the price of bread which the people will have to pay, but doing the wheat grower extremely well for kindly growing the wheat. So with the maintenance of the pries of butter, folk will recall how the price to the consumer was kept up by the Government guarantee. We had the same sort of thing with regard to sugar—all available for the peoples’ use at a high price, thanks to the Government guarantees. All this time the gold producer was ignored. Yet he was producing a commodity so essential to the winning of the war, that fearful of the gold being secured by others, the export was controlled for the war period. Throughout that period the gold miner went on producing the gold, but at a rising cost. Gold value remained stationary, but everything required to mine—timber, tools, explosives, food and labor—all went up, and the profits of the miner disappeared. He had to sell the product of his work to carry on,' he was not able to hoard up the gold and wait for a rising market. Others more fortunately placed were able to enjoy the unearned increment, but when the position was revealed to the Government they made no effort to assist the gold miner in the matter. The Government were told of the position, but apparently the miners did not possess the electoral influence of the farmers, and no ready help from the Government for control of the market or stabilising prices was forthcoming The recent reply in the House by Mr Massey is probably the final answer, but we cannot help thinking it is very unfair, and discloses an inequitable position. In other directions when pressure has hjeen brought to bear on the Government, Mr Massey has been ready at very short notice to fly to the help of hig particular friends. Evidently the miners are not in that category. When we find unlimited backing being provided for the meat pool, we can only marvel at the unfairness of the attitude which refuses a few thousand pounds to do justice to the gold producers v.' served the country so well and faithfully all through the war period, while those who reaped a harvest are to have prices again stabilised in their favour by a beneficient Government.