NOT YET REALISED.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 30 April 1917, Page 4

NOT YET REALISED.

THAT THE WAR IS ON,

Eeplying to a deputation in Wellington from the dairying industry on Friday, the Hon. Mr Macdonald, Minister of Agriculture, said: —

A great many people did not seem to realise yet where they were in connection with the war. Every other country in the world had had to put up with. restriction of the food supply. In England the supply for every man, woman and child was restricted, and only so much meat, butter, and sugar, for, instance, could be purchased, j In New Zealand we were absolutely free, and received higher prices for our produce than ever before, notwithstanding the butter-fat levy. They knew that in other countries restrictions were imposed, and yet in New Zealand every section of the community appeared to think that it was singled out by the Government for unjust treatment with a desire to harass it in some way or other There was no man or woman in New Zealand, except those w'ao had sustained the loss of a son or relative at the front, who was > worse off as the result of the war. They were living in a paradise compared with those living in some other countries. Considering the prices and the conditions under which they wer c living, he could not see any great reason why the farmer should make any protest. No doubt the farmer had as hard a row to hoe as anybody, and, in some cases, owing to financial obligations., they were up against a hard proposition, but those cases were exceptional, and no Government possibly could legislate for exceptional cases. As to the cases of men in the back country, he thought it was a great mistake to complain of these conditions. 'Any one who purchased property or stock at war prices could not expect these prices to be maintained after the war. If they purchased land on the basis of butter at Is 9d a lb, as against lOd, they must inevitably collapse, be cause they knew perfectly well that no sane commercial man would expect present prices to continue after the war was over.