A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH

Shannon News, 10 May 1927, Page 4

A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH

KEEPING OUT NEW ZEALAND BUTTER. A ; serious position in the dairying industry, due largely to New Zealand competition, was described to the Minister for Customs (Mr Pratten) by a deputation representing the dairying industry of the State, which waited upon him recently to urge an increase in the tariff upon butter and cheese. It was represented to Mr Pratten that unless a greater measure of protection was granted the industry could' not possibly be made to pay.

Mr P. Grant (president of the Primary Producers' Union) declared that' an increase in the tariff on butter, and; cheese was a matter of life and deathi to the* dairying industry. To hia. knowledge, many of the dairy farmers in New South "Wales were not making a basic wage. Mr. Grant read a resolution, carried that morning- at a conference of representatives of the dairying industry. The resolution urged that the duty on New Zealand butter and cheese should be increased to 6d per lb., with a corresponding increase under the general tariff; and that under the general tariff the duty on process cheese to b e increased to at least 6d per lb. The dairy farmers held the view that. if butter mu3t b$ imported into Australia it should come from New Zealand.

The resolution indicated a wish on their part that the preference to New Zealand should continue. What they did object to, however, was meetingLondon parity, which was governed by countries of low standards, through the channels of New Zealand. "IJairymen are not making a decent living to-day," added Mr. Green. "The average return to dairy farmers for the year was 1/1 h per lb., as against which the lowest official estimate of the average cost of production was: 1/7J per lb., while at the Bathurst conference the cost of production was given as 1/11 per lb."