BUTTER PRICES.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 9, Issue 538, 8 June 1920, Page 2

BUTTER PRICES.

The news that the price to be paid to dairy farmers for butter for local consumption has only been raised by threefarthings per pound will no doubt be strongly resented by all engaged in the industry us being gether out of proportion to the increased cost of production. Farmers will now receive Is 4 ! } id per pound, and the consumer will pry Is 9d. It will thus be noted that the retailer is to get another fa thing for simply handling and selling. Wo venture to ray that the amount of nert profit to the average farmer out of his three farthings will only amount to a moiety of the extra profit granted to the retaile - . A great deal of nonsense has '.leen talked about it being improper co take into consideration the enhanced cost of dairying lard in fixing buttet' prices, but ws* scanrot see any justification for this view. The enhanced price is a solid fact we cannot get away from, and when valuations are made for taxation purposes it is not by any means treated as a mere bubbie, an ephemeral thing unworthy of being no ticed, and, ihat being so, to cover it up out of signt when fixing prices for what it produces appears to be most monstrously unfair.

If the Government is sn.iply votehunting it is not showing much intuition. The Labour Paity will not vote for Reform because it is getting a small dole in butter weekly, and the usual backers oi Refoim would not ler.ve the party because of being made to give the dairy farmer a fair and payable price. We can see no leason why the pike shouid be below that or the Australian colonies, where an article much inferior to ours brings the producer very much better returns. In Victoria, the largest State, the price paid to farmers is 2s 3d pet pound. The Order-in-Cuncii fixing the price of oiu butter has not yet Keen gazetted, and there is yet time lor our Government to recede from i; very and really dangerous position. We venture to say that if farmers wore as well urbanized as they ought to be it is a position nc Government wuild ever have ventured to occupy.