CORRESPONDENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 250, 31 March 1915, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

CO-OPERATIVE FREEZING WORKS,

To the Editor. Sir,—The movement p» co-operative freezing works ia one of the utmost importance to dairy farmers and of eqiial importance to New Plymouth as the "door" of the province, and it is to lie lu>ped the letter by "Farmer" in a recent issue of the News will cause the residents of the town to recognise the enormous benefit that will accrue to thei port by the establishment of such) works; that those who can will assist materially in the capitalisation of the proposed company, is earnestly hoped,, because by the townspeople assisting thus we will have true co-operation. | What benefits New Plymouth harbor j must benefit the back country supplying, it; what benefits the business man of. the port town must benefit the business man of the inland town and the ultimate benefit must be to the producer i because of cheaper imported goods and a more rapid outlet for his productions. "Farmer" points out that the proprietary concern holds all the trumps but one —and there's the rub! Co-operation in Taranaki is entered into in a sort of half-hearted manner (everyone looks to the present only) and we have evidence of how it is supported when we take note of the bacon production; if cooperation were thoroughly entered into —it the principle were thoroughly understood— we would never have tlie spectacle which is to be seen in this district of several proprietary concerns entering into competition with a co-operative combination simply because they would not receive support, and the enormous business done by the farmers own cooperative concern, if all would support it, should mean better returns to the prducocrs, etc.—the ones who are entitled to it would receive "all there is in it"—can it be said at present. This is tlie danger the freezing company has to meet and unless the small farmer who has almost every year a few stores to get rid of is encouraged to put his bit into the' co-operative venture and also guarantee his support in other wavs then I make bold to say it would be far better to leave the proposed works ■ alone and let the farmer gp on as lie is at present, and surely its not going to take much intelligence to see that th.! present state is "rotten." Experts till us (we have to rely on experts) that for many years to come cattle for consumption will be scarce and consequently high prices must rule all over the world. Then all the more reason why every farmer should show interest by supporting the co-operative proposal; all ' the more reason why the business man { of the towns supplying the farmers with their requirements should help put the concern into a going shape. Farmers growl—and growl; they expect tilings to be done for them in regard to a :air price for east off stock and occasionally have their eyes opened as to what is |ic-

ing made out of them in many-things which, by co-operating, would go to their own pockets. I have always said that as a paradox the farmer would be hard to beat! It has always been a bar to progress in Taranaki that its periple, loth town and country, are too conservative and in this way. The seed planted to-day is expected to be a tree and give fruit to-morrow, and if such expectation is not' realised or a little more manure (in the shape of cash) is needed its "shut the thing up, I've had enough, etc!" Good industries likely to benefit the whole of the province have been so stultified on that account and oth'sr

parts get the benefit of Taranaki's raw products. Co-operation can end that. "Farmer" has many supporters regarding the apparent advantages of the Moturoa site, but the irrepressible nar-row-minded individual will have his "-ay as "Why didn't he sign his name? Another with an axe to grind, etc." It ;»' to be deplored that people of to-day do not recognise that as human beings tlwy are but units and that it is their duty to the community as a whole (not only of the present, but the future) to lay foundations for progress that will leave the condition of things generally, better for their children than obtained f;.r themselves, and if in doing so they receive a certain moiety of return 'then all the better. Now, I have no axe to grind, and as a struggling small farmer who recognises the benefit of full co-op-eration, and that then; is the utmorti need for co-operative freezing works, I want to here say that since the free*-; ing works proposed was first initiaWi (it is 12 months ago) I have done a good deal of agitating amongst residents in different parts of the district, and am pleased to report that in every case fV importance of the New Plymouth harbor is fairly recognised (and that where j 13 or lfi years ago it was not safe for one's eye to mention harbor at all); also, that the bulk of the opinion is expressed in favor of the works being placed at Moturoa. Mind, those opinions are of dairymen who occasionally deal in a few sheep and have almost yeany a few stores to dispose of. As the culling of herds by testing associations is likely to increase, rather than otherwise, it must easily be seen that the importance of the dairy farmer supporting the co-operative freezing works is of great value to the proposal. It hat. often been said that dairy farmers find i( does not pay to rear a steer or two for beef yearly, but would it not, wuhr co-operation, turn out a paying side i line equal with rearing a horse or two, j as is done in many cases. Well, the expert has decided against the Moturoa site, and farmers are asked to take that bald statement!. T think that it is only but right that the expert argument against Moturoa should be published so that we who are practically asked to buy a "pig in a poke" can pass judgment as to the value of expert opin'on. We in Tarannki have been suffering i.n years '(paying through the nose) for expert opinion on many things of importance to the community, simply because that expert opinion has been considered by the few who may have had the opportunity to study same, and as ventilation, argument etc., tends to educate it also tends to disabuse wrongful ideas; therefore I hope, in the interest of a solid foundation for the proposed company, those interested in the initiation will see to it that the information alluded to is as soon as possdile placed in the hands of prospective shareholders. I have, Mr Editor, as 1 have stated above, heard many expressions of views in favor of Moturoa, but which would take up too much space to repeat, and though I deplore quibbling over the site, I do not think anyone will deny the justice of my contention that we should have in print the expert opinion as suggested, such opinion as to erection of works may be all right, but export opinion other than that of building is also required, and the expansion of trade | as time goes on is a mighty big hurdle j to negotiate, but which has* to be studied when laying foundations. If in the early days those responsible for our' harbor could have seen the potentialities of the district and had faith in them, what would Taranaki bo to-day? I must also say that "Farmer's" letter has met with hearty approval, and it is Imped farmers all over the district will sink any parochial ideas in favor of the consolidated idea of "all together." It may, in a sense, be a good tiling for the port town (it will reflect on' the country) but the inhabitants there should, as ''Farmer" suggests, ont'T henrtily into financial support, and if i the progress of the district is genuinely believed in—if they have the faith in the harbor as so often expressed—then (hat financial support' will be no small, - mutter. Here is a chance to draw tov;,i J and country together as they should be. ( be, being inter-dependcut. Wo havs- of '

late years seen visits of business men to the Ohura and other way-back parts, Let us sec that action will back up the opinions expressed through the Press legarding same and supporting the cooperative freezing proposal would he a fitting expression of belief—more eo than empty words, they're cheap—in I'ie future of the district as a whole. However, the dairy farmer of northern Tar'naki is up against a real live beneficial proposition, and townspeople are ditto. Let us see how far the co-operative microbe has strengthened. Who says failure?—l am, etc., JOE. B. SIMPSON. Durham road, March 28.

We are asked to publish the following letter, which recently appeared in the columns of our Hawera contemporary.—

WAR TAX AND THE FARMERS' UNION.

In your issue of the 17th appeared a | notice that Mr McHardy, of PalmersLon North, had made a gift of £IOOO to the Belgium Relief Fund. In doing so Mr McHardy wrote: "As a producer and one who is deriving increased revenue frou the efforts of those who are doing the, fighting and enduring hardships and thereby having their country laid waste and their homes destroyed, it is my duty to return something to those who are so nobly defending our existence. The increased price of produce is, in my Opinion, conscience money, or ill-gotten gains—gains derived through the British and their Allies on land and their fleets at sea."

These words of Mr McHardy must surely have touched the conscience of all farmers who are selling their ehiwse at flOs instead of 60s, and their wool, meat, butter and grain, and all primaiy products at greatly advanced prices. I believe (with many others) that money raised by voluntary gift is a tax upon the generous and sometimes thriftless, while the greedy and selfish, escape. I feel, therefore, that war tax is not only inevitable but is a inty 'V(. owe to those fighting for us; and I have been looking, with si.-:ne impatience, to the Government to assess my share of such a tax.

I believe that I am honr»it in saying that the self-aacrince and heroism ofour brave fighting men lias stirred up a spirit of patriotism which commercialr ism and the struggle for wealth had almost extinguished, and I believe that there are hundreds of farmers is this country asking themselves: "What can I do?" not "What can I escape." It is, therefore, with some feeling of humiliation that I read your report of the Farmers' Union meeting held on Thursday and the resolutions then passed. They were: "That if a war tax has to be imposed the Dominion Executive urge that everyone in the Dominion should bear their fair share, and that it should be in no sense a class tax,", and "That the fairest way of raising the extra revenue required would be by a percentage on all existing taxes." Do % our farmers realise that 03 per «mt of .the revenue is derived from Customs anil'excise duties, the greater part of which is paid by the wage-earners, whose means of livelihood is made less secure by the war and whose cost of living has been increased by the increased cost of our primary products? Do they also realise that some portion of i such tax would be paid by the wives and children, the mothers and sisters, of those who have gone to fight for us? Do they realise that the farmer is specially exempt from income tax which other receivers of income pay? Do they realise that over 78 per cent, of the land owners pay no land tax whatever, and that a considerable proportion of the land tax is paid on town land, which means that at least' 80 per cent, of the farmers pay no land tax at all? Do they realise that the great increase ?n the price of our primary products, due to the war, is putting hundreds of thousands of pounds into the pockets ot a chin,;, and that class the farming class? Do they realise that the resolution passed by the Farmers' Union meeting really means that the farmers object to a class tax, but they don't object to class profits?

I do not believe for one moment that the men who passed those resolutions knew the full meaning of the proposals they carried, nor do I believe that the farmers of the country when they do understand their meaning will endorse •them.

No tax is perfectly equitable, but I believe that the best yet proposed is that suggested by the chairman of the Bank of New Zealand—namely, an export tax (but not, as he suggests, an import tax also), and even if such a (ax were to take the whole of the difference between nornial prices and war prices, less than justice would be done. Without doubt such a tax has serious objections as a permanent tax, but as a temporary measure, to catch some of ihos» who are actually making money out of the war, it is the best suggestion yet made public.

Not even then would such a tax be paid by the primary producers, for :!e increased price, and therefore the tax, would be paid by the purchasers of the produce. I feel sure that the farmers of this country recognise the great sacrifices being made by those who are oV fending their lands, by their dependents by all our Allies, and especially by that gallant little country Belgium. I fee! sure that the farmers, with others, icecL'nise that justice demands that nvie should reap a harvest out of such sacrifices, and justice is greater than generosity.

JOHN BROWN.