“NOT A SQUARE DEAL”

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10291, 28 May 1919, Page 7

“NOT A SQUARE DEAL”

FARMERS & GOVERNMENT THE SHIPPING SHORTAGE AND POTATO EMBARGO. Dissatisfaction with doings of the ‘Government was expressed yesterday by Mr G. L. Marshall, of Marion, president of the Wellington executive of the Farmers’ Union. Addressing the farmers at their conference, he mentioned several matters concerning which he appeared to think better might have been done.

He began by referring to the recent' dry spell. “The autumn,” he said, “has proved disappointing from a farmer's standpoint. The very dry weather has shortened the dairyman's season , of profit by more than a month and made prospects of winter feed particularly gloomy for graziers; but tho chief cause of complaint has been the inability of the freezing works to cope with the quantity of fat stock offering. The insulated tonnage did not arrive in time to shve the situation, and it is to be regretted that the blame for this cannot be sheeted home. ■ The Board of Trade allotted a cox-tain number of ships for the Australasian trade, and we are told that Australia has got more than half her meat away. Why wore the ships allowed to go there first/ The American Moat Trust owns a large proportion of the Australian output of meat, and it seems probnSile that influence has been at work to clear that meat first. At would be very interesting to be able, to get to the bottom pf Ht, hut certain it is that it fa not a ‘square deal.’ It seems to he a ‘ fact that the American meat packers have out-manoeuvred our men all the time, and their last balance-sheet disclosed a profit of over twelve million pounds.. - They■ have- been paid nearly double the price for their beef that we have been getting, and yet it has been eold at the some price as our own at Home. •

“Another unfortunate aspect of our affairs which I want to allude to *s the further attempts which the Government has made to interfere with and control the prices Af; pur primary produce, TWs'interference to. tfgdo can only shave one result, namely, to reduce production. At this time, when all and sundry are talking about the necessity for increased production to enable us to face the greatly increased yearly expenditure due to the war, it is surely the height ’. of folly for the Government to put an embargo on the export of potatoes. You know what an uncertain crop they are to grW, .'. Growers sometimes lost all they. put into -the crop.when blight' destroy^’ it, and then . when a. chance comes to recuperate themselves tor their labour an embargo is put on the export of the surplus, so as to “reduce tho price. I have, not heard of anyone suggesting that a grower who loses his crop through disease should he refcompensated for his loss. “The whole system is wrong, and is bound to react on. the community. The Government discouraged thp growing, of ’ Whctff by 'offering’ an.unpayable price the season before this. flow different was’the attitude of the United States Government. They . offered the fanners over 9s per bushel to induce them to grow as much as possible, and are now exporting to Europe an enormous, quantity at more than lls per bushel. Growers will not trouble, to grow such. troublesome crops as potatoes and wheat if they are subjected,, to.jnterferenoe, and .T ; hope the union will .put-its whole'force into protesting' against any further exploiting of tho producers in this way. As [a war measure it may have been useful, but now it will be detrimental to the production of tho country. “No doubt it is a political move to catch the votes of the dissatisfied part of the population at the coming election, which will probably take place this ■ year. This election will have an important bearing on the future. ot the Dominion,, and it, is high time that the forming community bestired iteelt to exert a greater influence in the political arena. But we can do nothing unless we are organised into a corporate body which can be relied upon to give a block vote for or against candidates in the various constituencies. Your executive committee thought that the time was opportune to make a move in this direction, and an organiser has been appointed with the object of strengthening tho union in this province, and at the time of the election I hope the union will be strong enough in each country constituency to at least impress upon aspiring politicians the fact that they will have the active support or opposition from a solid body of producers which will materially affect their chance of election.”