PRODUCTION AND THE WAR.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 June 1916, Page 4

PRODUCTION AND THE WAR.

The news that the Imperial Government proposes to take the whole of the cheese output of New- Zealand during the coming season is of particular interest to dairymen of this province, which now devotes itself largely to the manufacture of that staple product. Meat has already been commandeered for the same purpose, and, to put producers on the same level, the Government should requisition butter, wool and hides. It is scarcely just to the cheese manufacturers to be compelled to take » limited price whilst the -wool grower setfWes tlrs inflated war prices; in other words, that one section of tlie Dominion should ■be penalised and another section advantaged. The management of our food supplies, however, has reflected no credit on the Government. At the outset producers made clear that they were quite agreeable to the Government taking the whole Dominion outputs at a prices based on the average price obtained during the previous three years, plus any additional transport and war charges,but theGovernmenttook no action until moved to do so by the Imperial Government in respect of meat and later cheese. The result is that we have been raking in huge profits ai' the expense Of our kinsmen at Home and our Allies. A comparison of the exports of the four staple products of the Dominion for the twelve months ended Mrach 31 last with those of the eorrcrespondiug period of 1913-14 is instructive, as is the difference between the increase in the value of these exports:—

The increase in the value of the exports of these products, representing 74 per cent, of the total exports for last year, is wholly explained by an incrc/ve in prices. This increase in prices is solely due to the war. The prices are war prices The profits secured by the exporters of 'the products are war profits. We are not a very patriotic people, though we claim to be. 11 ..'c were really patriotic we would not be sponging on the Old Country, already hard pressed, for the money with which to carry on the war. We would be finding it ourselves, and a good deal of it could come out of war profits without inflicting hardship on anybody. We are playing a mean part altogether. The Old Country ia paying through the nose for our produce and at the same time is finding the money to finance our part of the war. If we had any selfrespect we would soon change this state of things. It is not the producers or the people as a' whole who arc at fault, They can't be blamed for taking full advantage of t'he market rates. Tkey are, however, quite ready to do their duty. The fault is with the Government, which has failed to rise to the occasion in this as well as in other matters appertaining to the war. It haggles about paying adequately for the upkeep of the dependents of the defenders of the country and treats returned soldiers with scant consideration, yet it refuses to impose a tax on war profits, which, however, would not be required had it commandeered the Dominion's produce at the start. To take the whole of the cheese output without commandeering the other produce at the same time is inequitable. The Government should take the lot whilst about it, and thereby treat all producers alike. But the following of a sensible course like that is perhaps too much to expect from a Government that has not shown the slightest imagination or statesmanship since it assumed charge of the country's destlnisJ '

Increase Increase in quantity in value. — iPcrcpnt. Per cent. Won] 1.3 55.1 Frozen meat ... "20.8 155.1 Butter .0 29.3 Cheese 16.2 38.1