PRODUCERS' TROUBLES

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10292, 29 May 1919, Page 3

PRODUCERS' TROUBLES

TAXATION OF PRICES

FARMERS’ CONFERENCE AD DRESSED BY MINISTERS.

The Minister for Agriculture (Hon. VV. D. S. MacDonald) and the Minister for Lands (Hon. D. H. Guthrie) attended tho Farmers’ Union Conference yesterday and addressed the delegates on various subjects to? which reference had been made at the conference on Tuesday.

Respecting insulated shipping, Mr MacDonald said that there was nothing possible that the Government had left undone. So far as tho people at tills end were concerned, tho interests of tde country had been pushed to tho fullest extent. , He had been in communication with Sir J QScpb Ward almost weekly on the subject. He read cablegrams from Sir Joseph Ward (replying to appeals for moro shipping space i stating tuat he was making further efforts to get additional space and that ho’had been aclvised that the suggestion to divert shipping from the Argentine was not practicable at the time. Every effort had been made to tiring be loro tho authorities at Homo the lact that alter all they would only be securing and saving their own produce by aiding New Zealand to got extra shipping. Mi- G. L. Marshall: Is it possible the Meat Trust was at work to divert some of the ships that should havo como here ? Mr MacDonald replied that he had thought of that point and cabled to England about it, but was advised that there was nothing in it. Last session legislation was passed to prohibit trusts from exporting, but they were not prohibited from buying and selling within the country. This was one of tho weak points, perhaps, of the position. Parliament might have to amend the legislation, but there was one other help that could be rendered, and that was a refusal by the farmers to sell to these people. (Hear, hear.) During the war the Imperial Government had had to buy from the trusts. COMMISSION SHOULD BE SENT. HOME. A strong Commission should bo sent Home from this country, and if America was sincere in its protestations against tho trusts, something might bo done. A strange thing happened lately, however; when a large quantity of wool had to go to America they nominated as their agent the representative of the trust. Soon New Zealand would havo to have representatives in America, Australia and various other countries to care for tho interests of producers. A delegate: Scud Dr Reakes! Mr MacDonald said that Dr Realms could only fill one place, but he hoped lie would be sent Homo as he had been heavily overworked and he would gain valuable information. As to the fluctuation of prices, some very unfair things had been said. In the south a man had said that every member of the Government had his price. Ho, intVflJcd to tell that man before the biggest' audience ho could get that he (the man) was a liar. Also, at the conference nn Tuesday, one had' said that such things ns price-fixing were done to catch votes. That remark was very unfair and quite nn. just and uncalled for. It had also been said that the fluctuation of wheat prices had caused a drop_ in the crons, but that was absolutely incorrect. Tho fixation schemes had been adopted to try to make things work smoothly and bo as fair as possible all round, so tho observations referred to savoured of ingratitude. - HIGH FOOD PRICES.

Touching on tho potato embargo, he said that one of the reasons for instituting it was that tho price, of potatoes at the beginning of the season was d£3 15s a ton, later £l7, and when, ■still later, the Board of Trade tried to buy some, they were asked £25. How could a man, oven on good wages, bring up a family when such prices were asked for the food? No wonder there was industrial unrest!

Someone asked a question as to -hides. .Mr MacDonald: The price of hides was higher than in the last several years.

The questioner; But it did not bring down the price of boots. Mr MacDonald; How long ago was it?

The questioner; Quito recently. Mr. MacDonald: Yes; you see, it is too recent for anything to havo happened yet. A delegate wanted to know who, in tho Minister’s opinion, was getting the profit on boots and clothing.

Tho Minister instanced some cases in which the cost of producing articles was very heavy. Dyes, ne sato, Una gone up as much as 700 per cent. Bug there was no doubt that some people were making big profits. Whether there wore big profits being made in the leather business he did not know, but ho did know that some boots were sold at high prices. “How long is it proposed to regulate prices, and is it likely to become a permanent practice?” asked a delegate. The Minister said that no oao could say who tho next Government would bo, but ho was sure no ono wanted to keep these things going longer than necessary. Soon there should bo no need for fixation of prices. This was not tho only country where there was trouble; it was the country of tho leas, trouble. However, what had been done by tho National Cabinet had been done by absolute agreement, and all were willing to take tho responsibility. THE SHIPPING ALLOCATION.

Mr Guthrie said; Wo had boon assured that the allocation of shipping to Now Zealand and Australia was fair, but that was a little hard to believe, and it hud occurred to him that in an Australasian allocation tho smaller Dominion had boon somewhat lost sight of. Tho Food Controller and the Shipping Controller had given assurances to the effect that tho allocution had been fair, but still there remained the fact that New Zealand’s stores were full and Australia’s were not. Every possible effort had been made from this end to got more insulated shipping. Wo would get moro ships very soon, but the unfortunate thing was that they bad not come forward soon enough. Had they come a few months earlier, our position would have been much better. By the end of July u million carcases should be taken from us.

A delegate; That, is not BU,ffi.oientl Mr Quthrio: I know; but we nave August, September, October, and November to come and go on, and till November we must make every effort Possible to improve the position. The Minister added that although much of our produce was still here, the arrangement with the Imperial Govern-

mont was such that wo were in a sound financial position. The Government were net responsib-o for tho butter equalisation scheme. The suggestion for such a fund cams from tho butter committee representing tho producers. Mr Howie asked why the money to equalise butter prices should come off tho export price and not out of the Consolidated Fund. Mr Guthrie; That is a matter wlucn has to bo considered by Cabinet.