THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is Incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY. “ Public Service.” WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 1944. A QUESTION OF FACT

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 53, Issue 32410, 22 March 1944, Page 4

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is Incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY. “ Public Service.” WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 1944. A QUESTION OF FACT

In the course of an attack on the primary producers of the Dominion, during a recent speech in Parliament, the member for Thames, Mr Thorn, alleged that agitators among the farmers were disgruntled because they had not been allowed to take advantage of any shortage of supply to force prices up. This is misrepresentation of a serious nature. The attitude of the producers since the outbreak of war has been that price adjustments should be limited to the covering of increased costs. The annual report of the Dairy Board for 1939-40 stated that, after considering the conditions caused by the outbreak of war, the Dairy Industry Council sent a letter to the Minister of Marketing expressing the opinion that “while there should be no attempt to make any profit out of the war the price must cover costs of production.” In June, 1940, in another letter, the council expressed the willingness of the farmers to bear their full share of all sacrifices that might be necessary, and added: “As tangible evidence of this effort we desire, _ if possible, notwithstanding the increases in costs which have occurred, to avoid asking for any increase in the fixed price which we have received during the past two years.” It expressed a willingness to confer regarding a policy “which aims at arresting rises in costs.” Until the current season the dairy-farmer had been paid practically on the basis of 1938-39 prices. The woolgrower had been paid on the unchanged basis of the original sale agreement with the British Government until the purchasers offered to pay a higher price. Meat prices have been very stable throughout, and 'when some adjustments were made—also on the initiative of the British authorities —it was decided that the» extra money should be paid into an account and used to assist the men farming high country by maintaining the price of ewe mutton at a reasonable level. When he addressed a conference of farmers last year the chairman of the Dairy Board said that “the dairyfarmer has always taken the attitude that he would sooner have a reduction in his costs than an increase in his price, and we still stand firm on that to-day.” This during the war years has been the consistent attitude of the primary producers, and it is not correct to say, as did the member for Thames, that there has been any attempt or desire to take advantage of the unusual conditions in order to obtain higher prices. The speech was illustrative of that marked, but strange, inability on the part of so many Labour members to' understand the problems and attitude of those engaged in primary production. The producers’ policy has been that price adjustments should be based on production costs and not for increased profits.—Dominion, Wellington.