BREAD AND BUTTER.

Hokitika Guardian, 6 March 1923, Page 4

BREAD AND BUTTER.

(Lyttelton Times). Through the extraordinary action m the Governin', lit in prohibiting the im portatum of wheat and flour and soi:*i. till* mgh that action repri suita liw ,c "I'mvrix and millers lia'.c lieen en ! t, establish artuicial prices for these commodities in >c".v Zealand Ri rhaps these rejii'cseritatives shouh: not be harshly criticised. I bey have ! a*:'".f and abetted hv the Hovel nmellt , tiny wore assisted throng'inll le, i: O ic tioiu by ! lie Stale “« beat 1 mil. Her” well named, indeed; their ."Ic iiu .! pend 'd im its genesis and dc. nei d , 11 a* i ■ ,on t ill iia nee uu ni Ibe I b *.*• i iilneiil embargo ■• 11 ieqnuts. iio the whole alfnir is basi'd upon Hi" negation and the ddent ol all sound trailing rules, of economic principle and of element arv just ice. Taking the last named objection " recall the time when butter soared I. liall'-a-1 i'o" n a pound in London, mak ing the local parity two and ninepem. The pi'i'ilurcrs insisted upon their right in receive for hiittor eoiisinned loeally the equivalent foi the export value. I he (o:\ crmiioiii siiluuit ted the question to a Select (and. cf eour.se. selected) (uliimiiteo of the House, which decided t! •■ t tic only correct principle that could be considered or observ-ed was the principle of export parity. This, ii n::-. admittul. "as hard on consumer-. hm the argument was put lor c.ard i lia t the consumers’ turn "mild ei,me r.mud in due ioiir.se. Al all event;, the Government took particular care to see that the producers’ demand for export parity was conceded at the expense of New Zealand (unsuinors i. ho. by tin- way. had supplied tlm Treasury with ta.x-ieviuiue for a gen eratiiiu to spend oa the building up of the dairving industry.

Now. however, an artificial price u lice it fixed fur wheat, a price m eve'

n( export, parity, and in addition lbGovernment lias taken the amazing inurs;' of absoluk.ly shutting the door against imported wheat or Hour. It will nut even allow the entry int o tho i ,oniin* of a moderate quantity ol Australia u flour which .linkers do hire .

essential to the production of lirst-ehiss bread. AYc regret exceedingly that the (level ament chooses srch strange and wrong nn'tliods in the interests of toe masses whom the I’Horni Party • cools determined to flout and to injure, t urjiO'slv enough, the policy is opposed to tin avowed opinions of the Minister ol Agriculture, the lion AA . Nusworthv. who fa! hers il. for lie has again and again dookir; d himself ag.-tr-i Stale interference with the prices oi products, against Government control and (lovcrnmo.il price-llxiimv AVt for all intent- cod oii'g.uses tin- on c. i.ov V ■•d ! “•■ii’.ntiv - I' gnu r e ! mili. i - might have been decided by a Cubin', t Orderin-Coiineil. signed by lb.-GovtJ'iior-Gonoral. since, as was bluntly stilted at the l. • mg of the Farmer-' I’uion. llio arrangement of .schedules by lb., confer wa- only made possible through the cieinivam e oi 'bCoveni'i! -11 l in orahibAling import-, and the si-bein • o ’ I fall i c the ground to- \ morrow ii ibis extraordinary prohibition wa- ivtmived. * All ill • t : !-■ V i'o arc m pousihle for ■me in : iii ibis fixation -if art ilicial prices, affecting one of the i rineipnl of the pm 1 e's foodstuffs, have ■ --i-ted in revel s' / A rule w Ideh guv • dairy farmers chc: they asked for -otne few years ago and li:>v-‘ eontribiiud -to the defiance of all sound kiw- of enmmer: a. ‘l'hev not might p.’k" wanting. They a- mrsuirg a -nim that ifuli of p alt- 1 ii. for no sane “- i nutnity will oi'tinue to allow any (>n-J vernment to live which deliberately holds up t> ini ■ct lood- I nils; and tile day nr: <n. v. :i am titer can in ollicc Hi!' e ii-i 1 • !. - a mailer of retrihut n■■ m-i: ■ to o n \> ids ill" ports of the neuioii to go goods oi other conn: i ami oven -.rohibit tl.c j export of f- ' -Mr ‘ : s(■ j vernment it 1 •> ■ ■ tlmir import a- j tion. The (V Y•> f c ( nmn. j we may add xtretm ’ unwise and J short-sight. 1 a - - ’m P. approving j the police vernim ■ 1 ck- j ing advantage of it. AA'e had thought j there wen- ui-'f heads ut the 1 |l!l1 ’ j for at times some of 'the mem hers have j verv sen-" 'v t'" l ’ out c ninst ' :v u-f

ment coir r. l : -ri.- ■ Put. ol ' every how . "cir.ni:- - alter ease-." a< has ti**ou pnverhr'. .1 monstrated in this country m r of bread and butter.