MOTOR CARS AND WHISKY.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 July 1918, Page 6

MOTOR CARS AND WHISKY.

DISCUSSION BY FARMERS' UNION. At a meeting of the executive of the Farmers' Union at Hawera on Thursday, Mr. J. Blair, for tho Hawera branch, moved the following remit passed by that branch at their last meeting — "That this branch of the N.Z. Fanners' Union wishes to enter an emphatic protest against the conditions obtaining which make it possible for incoming boats to be laden with liquor and other non-essentials to the exclusion of material so urgently needed in the interests of production, the maintenance and increase of which is so vitally necessary to enable the Dominion to do its share in prosecuting the war and to bear the resultant taxation." Speaking to the resolution, Mr, Blair said that they all recognised that after the war there was going to be tremendously heavy taxation, and, as that had to come out of the land, it behoved them to take every possible measure to ensure their exports being maintained and increased. At the present time there was a great shortage of all sorts of material necessary for the farming industry, as, for example, fencing wire, wool bales, fertilisers, and many other things, and the. import of these was being hampered in order to allow motor cars, liquor and luxuries to come into the country. They would not be doing their duty unless they made a definite stand in the direction of securing preference in shipping space for the essentials for maintaining and increasing production. The chairman: How did you obtain your information that the boats were being utilised for carrying liquor and non-essentials? Mr. Blair: We have seen it in the papers. We know motor cars have beei coming in wholesale. It has not beei; denied or refuted that a shipment of liquor recently came into Auckland.

Mr. Woods remarked that his brother who was a naval officer, said that on the boat in which he came to New Zealann there was a cargo of a thousand ton? of whisky. There was no other cargo. Mr. Owen remarked that they must endeavour to get at the actual facts before they came to any conclusion on this matter. There was a great shortage of many things required in tfoa colony owing to labor troubles at Home, and it was possible that motor cars an<3 liquor were the only freight then offering. If it could be proved the articles mentioned were given freight space in preference to essentials, then it was time they moved in the matter, but they must be careful not to bark up the wrong tree Mr. Maxwell agreed with Mr. Owen's view Whilst he had no definite information on the matter, he had a dla« tinct impression that liquor was being imported to the exclusion of essen» tial goods, but it was possible that liquor had been accepted &s cargo because the other goods were not available at the time. Until they cotdd say definitely liquor had been carried to the exclusion of essential goods they would only be doing harm in moving in the matter. He suggested that the member for the district should be asked to procure this information.

Mr. Cleaver remarked that his nephew, who had recently returned to New Zealand, informed him that steamers were only too glad to get cargo of any kind, and some even had to take the ballast.

Mr. Mills, whilst agreeing that it was well to be cautious and to have definite information before taking action, said that they had reason for believing that to some extent at any rate, other cargo had been available, but the ships had no space for it. Just why that cargo was left and whisky brought out he could not say. Whether cargo was available at the ports lie could not say ; it was possible the trouble might lay further back, and it might be that tho railways were giving liquor preference over other goods. All our business people complain that whilst tho goods are available at the other end their whole difficulty lies in the want of shipping space, and only recently a man told him that he had had goods on order, and although they had left the factory long enough ago to have travelled all around the world, he had not yet received them. He moved as an amendment, "That this matter be referred to a committee consisting of Messrs Owen, Daws; and the secretary to make full enquiries and to report to a later meeting." Mr. Blair agreed with this and withdrew his motion in favor of Mr. Mills' aniMuiment, which was carried s—Star.