THE KAIPARA AND WAITEMATA ECHO WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED "THE KAIPARA ADVERTISER & WAITEMATA CHRONICLE." HELENSVILLE. THURSDAY, Feb. 15, 1917 BUTTER-FAT LEVY.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 15 February 1917, Page 2

THE KAIPARA AND WAITEMATA ECHO WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED "THE KAIPARA ADVERTISER & WAITEMATA CHRONICLE." HELENSVILLE. THURSDAY, Feb. 15, 1917 BUTTER-FAT LEVY.

Referring to the butter-fat tax at the opening of the new factory of the Wailcato Co-operative Cheese Company at Matamata recently, Hon. W. H. Herries" (Minister for Railways), said he thought the bitterness at first exhibited was now becoming appeased. The Government, he said, was faced with a Very big problem, and had endeavoured as far as possible to find the best way out. The Government was pledged to try and reduce the cost of living, for the benefit of the whole Dominion, and when a scheme favourable to that end was presented, at a time when butler threatened to rise to almost prohibitive price, Cabinet considered it would be utterly unworthy of them if they did not adopt the scheme. The farmer might declare that it was a class tax, but the speaker disagreed with them in this, as the- people who paid it received it back again, for the Government got nothing of it, and therefore it was not a tax at all. Whether the Government had acted rightly or wrongly, they were determined to carry out their pledge to the people. An export tax on all produce shipped away had been suggested, but it was not within the province of the Government to impose this, though it could, o( course, be authorised by Parliament. The whole thing was, therefore, in tli9 hand's of the people's representatives. If Parliament desired that an export tax be levied, he, personally, had no objection.