OPINION OF A FARMER

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 53, Issue 32420, 19 April 1944, Page 5

OPINION OF A FARMER

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —After listening to Mr Hale’s broadcast speech on .Saturday evening from IYA, I could not help but contrast the method adopted by the leaders of the dairy industry to that adopted by leaders of other sections of industry in their approach to the Government when asking for an in-, crease in wages or butter ration. First let us look at the method used by the leaders of the dairy industry. Even before asking for what they wanted they were careful to assure the Government .that whatever the result of their request the farmers would still work as hard as ever and if possible produce more than ever before. With an approach like that the result was a foregone conclusion. iPractically no increase or as I have heard it called an insult to the dairy industry, and I am afraid will not increase but possibly decrease production. The method used lately by the leaders of an industry on the West

Coast was quite different. They demanded an increase of their butter ration by a certain date or they wou’d go on strike. Result, they got just what they asked for. The spoke in a tongue which the Government understood and had advocated in days gone by. I tried to picture what the result might have been if our leaders of the dairy industry had gone in a like manner to thg Government. Say some-thing-like this: “We demand Is 9d per lb. butterfat and 9d per lb. for our pig meat. If this is not granted by May 1 the farmers will lock the’r farm gates allowing nothing to come on to the farm and nothing to leave their farm till our demands are agreed to.”

By the way, if Is 9d per lb. butterfat was paid to-day it would still he about 2fd less than was paid in the first world war. • In a previous letter I stated low ' prices for our produce were detrimental to New Zealand as a whole and tried to prove that by compar- | ing the difference in prices received

here in New Zealand and those in Australia. I would like to go a step further and show how another country can reap a reward which the producer of this country should receive. I will try and illustrate it this way: We will suppose that New Zealand receives an amount of goods from England and pays for them with one ton of butter, this leaves a balanced account. New Zealand also receives a certain amount of goods from America and also pays with a ton of butter and this also leaves a balanced account. America receives from England an amount of goods equal to what New Zealand received but pays for them with only about half of the ton of butter received from New Zealand and also leaves a balance account.

Why is this? Well, as soon as America takes possession of the ton of New Zealand butter it more than doubles in price. New Zealand price is Is 45d per lb., whereas the prire in America is 2s lOid per lb. in New Zealand currency. Surely it is time the matter of lend-lease was looked into and New Zealand put on a mor® favourable footing.—l am’ etc., W. H. CHEALU R.D., Paeroa, 17:4:44.