GUARANTEED PRICES

Opotiki News, Volume II, Issue 210, 21 July 1939, Page 1

GUARANTEED PRICES

RETENTION FAVOURED FARMERS’ UNION ATTITUDE MR. J. E. BENSON’S REVIEW ‘‘Mr. Savage has misrepresented tiio position,” declared Mr. J. E. Benson. Poverty Ray provincial president of tin; Farmers’ Union. when speaking at Gisborne of the criticism levelled by the Prime Minister, the lit. Hon. M. J. Savage, regarding the statement made by the Dominion president of the titfionj Mr. \V.-~ Wf Mulholland, on the proposal that, the guaranteed price should be \vitlidrawji. Mr. Benson returned from Wellington dinring the week-end alter attending' the Dominion conference of the Farmers’ Union. “The Farmers’ Union -is not in favour of the Government taking away the guaranteed price, as .Mr. Savage seems to> think,” Mr. Benson added, “but we feel that the... dairy farmers are entitled to tin* price proposed by the price-fixing advisory committee. “This. committee last season urged that the butterfat price •* for butter should he 1(3.70d per lb. and vith rising costs being stacked against the farmer he will need, at least that for tin* coming season.

“We discussed the guaranteed price for half a day at- our annual conference last week,” Mr. Benson said, “and I can say that the Farmers’ Union is definitely against tip? Government dropping, the guarantee. Itwould he absolutely wrong to* do so now that the farmers have to meet such greatly increased costs. The Farmers’ Union has always battled for a compensating price that will cover the rising costs. “We do not wish to see the guaranteed price discontinued,” Mr. Benson .concluded. “It is the Government who wants to drop the baby.”