POULTRYMEN INDIGNANT.

Shannon News, 10 December 1929, Page 3

POULTRYMEN INDIGNANT.

Wheat Duties Strangling Their Industry.

Promises.

DAIRY FARMERS PENALISED.

, Ur Jennens expressed disappointment that there was not a more representative attendance. The dairy farmers did not realise what they were up against tinder the sliding scale of duties. They might think they were going to get a great advantage with \ bran and pollard, recommended to be on the free list, but no one was so foolish as to think he was going to do any good with those feeds as a pig raisei. There was no sliding for maize. It was hard to say whether'the Wheat Committee’s recommendations would be given effect to, and it was difficult to understand some of them and why the Committee sat so long and presented its report so late. “Tlie real point is,” said Mr Jennens, “that you can’t land ' outside wheat in Wellington under 7/10 or 7/11 a bushel. If you could get wheat in Australia or . any other country at 1/- per bushel, the consumer in New Zealand would have to pay 7/10. The difference goes to the Government ia the shape of duty. Tnat is how the sliding scale hits the ff armors. “At the same time about 4500 tons of milling wheat were sent away from New Zealand on which the wheat pool were going to lose 2s to 3s per bushel rather than sell it to the consumer in this country. It is interesting to see also how much wheat has been imparted and to be told that research L going on to find out why N.Z. is unsuitable for bread-making! 1i the month of August this year the quantities of flour imported were: From Canada 397 tons, United States 40 tons and Australia 194 tons, while altogether 5725 tons of flour were imported up to the end.of July (seven * months). Yet New Zealand had a surplus of wheat. The value of the wheat imported in the first seven months of 1929 was £53,030 or 193,453 bushels; 1928, £82,015 (172,383 bushels; 1927, £228,999 (763,733 bushels). Yet , the Government would tell them that this country must be self-supporting! It surely is ridiculous tliati when the miller can import wheat to suit himself under huge protection the poultry farmer can’t import inferior wheat into this country. ” “CROCODILE TEARS.”

Mr 'MacPherson told them recently that they were going to import a lot of rubbish, but. every poultry farmer could tell hjm that there was plenty of rubbish in the country now and it did not come from Australia. A voice: I got some to-day and it is half chaff. Mr Jenneus said he was hoping that the meeting would instil a little more enthusiasm into the farmers and tha; it would.be the forerunner of a bigger meeting to take place in Wellington, after meetings had been held in Ma - terton, Palmerston North, Paraparaumu, Hawera, Stratford, Shannon and other poultry-keeping centres. The Wellington meeting could then send a strong deputation to the Government and if possible to the Prime Minister! ‘ ‘Hitherto a certain amount of crocodile tears have been shed over this matter. The Hon. Mr Forbes has been very sympathetic, but has he done anything?” The economist who had gone into the matter for the Government found that the cost of' production was a penny per dozen less in the ■ South "Island than in the Northland yet it cost not less than a small fraction under Is 2d for food in the North Island, without anything being added for labour, interest, rent or other charges, while in the South the, cost was Slightly under Is Id. If they had got a better market by a penny in the North Island they lost it from the fact that the cost of production is a penny more than in the South. The South Island had landed: eggs in Wellington at but thfey might lose on that. CHEAPER FOOD MEANS CHEAPER EGOS, Mr Jennens said he had always regarded export as a fallacious method of meeting the position, and’ was still of that opinion. If they could only net 9d a dozen for eggs which cost 10d or or even lid to get on the London market, there was nothing’ in it. The eggs had to realise Is 9d to net about lOd; and that being so it was far better to pulp the eggs. In that case he admitted they would have to have a Control Board to regulate sales Twenty-five to 33 per cent, of the eggs had to go into the tins if it was pro-

And Levies Heavy Toll on •Dominion Generally.

Demand for Practical Relief Instead of Barren

Spirited denunciation of the wheat was voiced at a public meeting m Levin last week, imdpr the auspices of the Levm fouitiy Keep ers ’ Association. Those taking part were fully _renresentative of the poultry industry m this district, but there were no dairy farmers or pig producers present a fact which was deplored by the principal speakers, Mr P. Jennens, Chairman of the Wemg ton District Poultry-keepers A 88 ®^ 1 ®"; /"f the P Raskin who gave evidence lecently beiore tne Wheat Committee. Mr JJ Durrant f s local Association presided, and the meeting is tended to lead up, after a chain of similai meetings, to a general meeting in Wellington and a strong protest to the Government.

posed to hold the local market at Is 6d. But why should New Zealand have to pay Is ffd for eggs to enable the wheat grower to get the high price he did for his wheat. It was far saner ecov omv to enable the public to buy eggs at Is that cost the producer lOd to 10|d. It was a fact that good whole fowl wheat could have been bought in Australia this season at 3s 7d per bushel. If they had not a sliding scale, fowl wheat at 3s 7d would cost 3s lid or 4s on board ship in Australia, sacks in. That would give a cost of 5s 2d in New Zealand. The present day cost of production was Is 2d and the cost of wheat was 7s 6d. If the wheat cost them one-third less and the by-pro-ducts the same, and the cost of production was therefore one-third less,- eggs could be produced at lOd to *lO-$d per dozen and in the flush of the season they could afford to sell them instead of holding them until they were out Oi date. They would not make a fortune at that but they could afford to do it. Unless something is done so that the poultry farmer can make his voice heard before Parliament meets he is going to get nothing. Nothing definite had been done in regard to the Wheat Committee’s report; ywhich had been laid on the table of the House; and Parliament had not decided whether the whole of the recommendations should be adopted. Six of the ten members of the Committee represented wheat growing electorates. The weakness of the poultry industry lay in the fact that they could not get the support of cither the United or Labour Parties. Evidence given before the Committee showed that the whole population of this country, men, women and children, pay 5s per head per year on account of the sliding scale in repect of flour and bread, and Is per head on fowl wheat. Mr Jennens declared that the poultry industry was worth more to this country from an economic point of view tnan wheat growing, and was therefore deserving of better treatment. UP AGAINST A BRICK WALL.

Mr B. Baskin, in the course of a vigorous speech, asserted that the poultry industry was regarded by some people as a laughing stock and the meeting should make its voice heard in protest against the inaction, bluff and crocodile tears that the industry was being treated to. They had been told that they were running their heads against a brick wall and he thought they could recognise the names of some of the bricks that made up that wall, as well as the mortar that bound them together. They '.vere informed that there was no such thing as a trust or combine.;- that it was prohibited by law; and that the reason why the price of wheat was so higli was because there Avas a shortage. An .Act of Parliament prohibited trustsand combines, yet they lcneAV they Avere in existence, and another Act gave a tariff that enabled them to operate.

The Hon. Mr Forbes had a terrible lot of sympathy for the poultry industry, but all it had got so far avss an economist to investigate the industry from the North Gape to the Bluff. The industry, lioweA T cr, did not Avaut empty promises. The Government’s attitude reminded the speaker of a man who Avould not give . half-a-ero\vn lo save another from starvation, but wouid waste a day going to his funeral after he was dead.

Documentary evidence had been sent to the economist showing that it cost Is 2d to produce a dozen eggs that, as they all knew, Avere bringing about Is in the market. That cost Avas merely for fowl food and did not include anything for labour, capital or the investment in land, plant and buildings. The economist told them that, on their present cost of production they should be getting not less than 2s per dozen. ‘‘ Noav it is up to the Government to shoAV us hoAV we can balance our accounts by paying Is 2d for a product for Avhich avc are receiving Is. I would like to see some Avizard of finance comtalong,” said Mr Baskin, AA T ho Avent on to refer to the precarious position ox the industry, quoting cases Avhen men had gone under after battling along against adverse conditions

SMALL HOLDERS BEING DISCOURAGED.

There was an opinion that things would right themselves when a number of small mon went out of existence, but that should not be. The people should be encouraged to go on to small holdings. There were 154,000 families in NeAv Zealand avlio were engaged rn the poultry industry, but there was no

co-operation amongst them. There was mutual aid amongst the lower animals, but not amongst the poultry-farmers. Everyone pulled for himself, and “the devil take the; hindmost. 5 ’ ABOLISH THE SLIDING SCALE. If the Government listened to the poultry-keepers’ suggestions to remove the sliding scale, and let them 1 export all they wanted to, without a subsidy, they could restore the cuts to the Levi, Service. “Leave us alone; let us buy where we can and sell where we want to. We do not want your sting or your honey. We don’t want your subsidy or your sliding scale,’’ was their message to the Government. WHO GETS THE DIFFERENCE. Mr H. Leger said they had been pegging away for 15 years and had been put off by one Minister and another. Mr Jennens: All our discussion has been on fowl wheat and we have not said anything about milling wheat. That aspect of the question will be discussed later on, but there is no doubt it is receiving a certain amount of attention from the Government. “What we cannot understand is that the wheat grower, at 5s 7d per bushel, is getting about £ll per ton for his wheat, but the consumer is paying £32 to £33 for thi» same quantity of wheat converted into bread. Who is getting the difference of £22.’’ FREE IMPORTATION.

Mr Leger moved, and Mr R. K. Me Doneli seconded the following motion; “That this meeting of Levin producers stands for the free importations of poultry. food, including fowl wheat, to the North Island, and will do all in its power to ’ help to organise the producers with

that object in view.’’ The Chairman said no doubt the motion was on right lines. If it were possible between now and Christinas to hold the various meetings suggested they could then send the deputation to the Ministers and Prime Minister if he was well enough. PARITY OF WHEAT PRICES.

Mr Jennens was not altogether certain that free importation was the solution or that they would gain much by asking for it. He favoured an-en-deavour io obtain parity of price of foodstuffs with the South Island; which result could be obtained either by the Government importing the fowl wheat required or giving licenses to importers. If they had gone for. that in the first place they might have gained something. UNISON WANTED. Mr Leger said the time had gone by when they should go cap in hand to the Government, though he thought the Minister himself was powerless. The poultry-keepers must have some sort of policy' and if they had no political power they would get nowhere. They must have unison in the North Island and a. definite objective. /For 25 years they had been hammering away and it was time they asked for something Dig. Fiddling little things would not cure the canker.

Mr Jennens said that personally ne believed the Avhole solution lay in the education of the people because ho Avas certain the small poultry keeper did not realise hovv hard lie Avas being hit. If they Avould utilise their votes at the ballot box in the way they should, relief Avould be obtained. He did not car? what political party a man belonged to so long as he remedied .the present iniquitous -state of things. The politic tl outlook was unsatisfactory. . Labour was in a position Avhere.it could balance the other parties, and they had Labour representatives of districts concerned in AViieat growing. Mr HaAvke, the only poultry farmer in Parliament, said the North Island >vas well looked after and admitted that Wellington was a dumping ground for Southern eggs. A CHALLENGE TO AN M.P.

Mr Baskin: Let any member of Parliament become in the happy position of owning 2000 foAvls and he Avould just about be able to balance his accounts with his £SOO a year. I would like to tliroAv out a challenge to the Rev. Clyde Carr, M.P., who stated that the v\ r heat growing industry employs more labour than the poultry industry. I challenge him to produce statistics in support of that statement. Really the poultry industry is assisting the A\ r heat grower. As evidence of the value of organisation, Mr Jennens said that while many poultry farmers had been sold up, the- kneAv of no one in their organisation to whom that had happened. They were still staving off the evil day. He added that up to last March, they Avere losing 4d a dozen on eggs in the North Island.

r no motion \vas put and carried. The Chairman suggested that arrangements should be made to put pertinent questions to the three candidates in the Hutt election, and Mr Raskin moved that the Hutt poultry-keepers be asked to take up the cause with the candidates.

It Avas agreed, however, to lea\ r e any aetion along these lines to Mr Jennens. The meeting closed Avith a \ r ote of than’-s to the chair and the press.