CORRESPONDENCE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3816, 10 July 1928, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

(To the Editor)

Sir. —It is quite apparent that things in the flax industry are at a deadlock. The millers assert that they cannot mill profitably at the price of fibre to-day, and the workers maintain that they cannot accept lower wages. This state of affairs may last another four or eight weeks —surely no longer because N.Z. hemp usually advances in the early summer. While things remain as at present unemployment continues —women and children must be poorly clad and poorly fed and are suffering hardships —business people are feeling the-strain, and very important too, the Harbour Board is finding some difficulty with finance because there is so little back loading. Now, sir, I do not know what difference the proposed reduced wages would make to a ton of fibre, but probably £1 is somewhere near the mark. I believe the millers may have milled, had the men conceded them this £1 —would have milled if they could just make ends meet and not show a profit. Not bad, Sir, for companies to be prepared to do this, so they are worthy of consideration. Manawatu is a Reform stronghold and consistently sends a Reform member back to Parliament. Our present M.P. ha_s asserted at different times that any representations made to him will he expeditiously dealt with, but up to the present he has not been requested to ask the Government to do anything for unemployment in this district. Now, Sir, I think the time is opportune for him to be approached by a strong representation from not only Foxton, but all over this district to ask him to urge upon the Government the necessity j for subsidising every ton of hemp ! t.) the tune of £1 up to 2000 tons j on hemp produced from now, or un- j tii such time as hemp rises the £1 j per ton. I would suggest, further, j that the members for Palmerston j North, Rangitikei and Otaki also j take this matter up —why not apples, honey, sugar, wheat and all manner of products and producers have been assisted by the' Government and here is a most important industry lying stagnant for the sake of a few hundreds of pounds; an industry, which, in money value, was fifth on the list of exports from this country. In conclusion I sincerely trust that our Chamber of Commerce, our member and our Mayor will take this suggestion up and act upon it most urgently. — Yours, etc. G. F. SMITH.