Guaranteed Price For Fat Lambs

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 29, 4 February 1937, Page 5

Guaranteed Price For Fat Lambs

FARMERS’ UNION DISCUSSION Would a guaranteed price be an Advantage to fat lambs breeders! The opinion that possibly it might was voiced at a meeting of the Manawatu Executive of the Farmers’ Union yesterday by Air G. Allwright who presented the views of the Opiki branch on the subject. lie pointed out that as a result of the present high price of wool, the fat iamb breeder would be paving a high price for breeding ewes so tk.at for every £1 he received on his wool this season, ho would have to spend an extra £2 for ewes. Nobody begrudged the wool men their present harvest for they had had their bad times as welL However, although he would have to pay a higher price for his ewes, the fat lamb man had no guarantee that he would not have to meet a slump in the near future. Under such circumstances & guaranteed price would be economically sound. Mr E. O. Bond: Do you mean one section of the sheep farmers is beneJitting at the expense of another! Mr Allwright: Well, yes I do. There is a possibility of a shortage of breeding ewes and the lat lamb producer will have to pay to get them. A guaranteed price would be of more advantage to all sections rather than have a boom one year and be down in the trough the next. Mr Allwright fancied compensated prices would be a long way better but they hadn't got that scheme hence his advocacy at the moment of a guaranteed price. Mr W. T. Gimblett could not see an advantage in recommending a guaranteed price for all products till they saw how the guaranted price for butter and cheese was going to work out. Air Allwright said he had been asked by the Opiki branch to urge the executive to get the opinion of the other branches. Mr B. F. Lynch said he would not liko to see the union urging a guaranteed price if it was likely to block the way for compensated prices. The chairman (Mr N. Campbell) also pointed out that the union was working for compensated prices and ho fancied it would be dangerous now to urge a guaranteed price. Air G. J. Wilde said the Opiki branch felt that the sheep farmers would make a big outcry against any agreement interference in their business but the sheep men should give the fullest consideration to the matter before coming to any definite conclusions. Mr C. P. Jensen thought the union should do nothing that would cause a split in its membership. Mr H. AlcLeavey also urged caution. The matter, in any case, was one for the sheep farmers and their own organisations. Colonel Closey said the Sheepowners’ Federation was strongly supporting compensated prices, mistrusting guaranteed prices.