BUTTER PRODUCERS

Taranaki Daily News, 21 June 1919, Page 6

BUTTER PRODUCERS

THEIR GRIEVANCES AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT. STRONG REMARKS BY MINISTER. By Telegraph.—Press Aasociatioii. I'almerston North, June 2(j. Speaking at the A. and P. Association's smoke concert last night, Sir James Alien, in urging that a strong Government was needed, asserted that the times ahead of us were momentous and as serious as those through which wo had just passed. There must be a little more give and take. Referring to the problem of industrial unrest, the MimsteV said that if they were to have a chaotic state of things with the balance of power in the hands of one section of the people only, then goodness only knows what would happen during the next four years. He hoped whatever Government was elected they would be courageous enough to find out the right path and unhesiatingly stick to it.

Sir Jaines Allen also pointed out that the New Zealand Parliament had a good name for honesty of purpose, and held id not think any other country' had put up the record that the Dominion had within the last four or five years with regard to finance. In other countries there lijad been many scandals with regard to finance. The Hon. W. D. S. MacDonaJd referred to remarks made at the National Dairy Association's conference regarding the treatment the butter producers had received from the Government- He said the Government was not antagonistic to any one section of the people, but was anxious to do its best for the great majority. He had no objection to criticism, but had a rooted objection to lying and some of the criticism levelled at the Government was very much of that nature. At the conference two gentlemen from his electorate had stated that there had been commandeered produce. There never had been such a thing in the Dominion, but a satisfactory arrangement was made with the farmers in which the latter concurred. A statement was also made that England was treating New Zealand as an alien and extorting undue profits from her. This statement was contrary to fact. Those who asked that th? arrangement for the Imperial Government to purchase butter should be terminated could hardly be aware of the fact that the same body of which they were members asked that the arrangements to requisition produce be continued during the period of the war and twelve months afterwards. At the present moment over seven million carcases of mutton were in store, on which the Home Government had advanced 75 per cent, of the value besides paying storage and insurance.

Sir James Allen and the speaker had communicated with Mr. Massey, who had arranged with the Imperial Government to take over the supplies absolutely and they advanced a large sum of money on them without interest. Their action probably saved the country from bankruptcy, and enabled it to do its share in helping to win the war. BUTTER EQUALISATION'. ME. MASSEY DEFENDED. Palmerston North, June 20. Sir James Allen handed the press today the following statement: In the New.Zealand Times of June 18 appear some, remarks from a special reporter at Palmerston North of what was said by some members of the National Dairy Association at a recent meeting. The report states that Mr. Agar said butter equalisation came about because of Mr. Massey. Now, Mr. Massey was not in New Zealand when the* first scheme of butter equalisation was adopted, ancl I am able to say that he warned me by telegram more than once about adopting the scheme. The second equalisation sell erne was never forced on the dairy community by Mr. Massey, but, so far as my knowledge goes, wag agreed to and approved of by representatives of the dairy industry themselves. There was good reason .why they should approve at the time, because they knew, or ought to have known, the difficulties the Government was face to face with. For instance, there wasi industrial unrest at the increase.in the cost of living. No Government worth its salt could do other than protect its own people against any undue increase in the cost of living, There was also the position that shipping was under the control of the Imperial Shipping Controller and we were dependent upon his decision whether our produce was taken away or not. We are a long way from Great Britain and it is easy to understand the Shipping Controller's quandary when he wanted supplies urgently and could secure most of them from sources of supply much nearer to him that New Zealand. Still we were kept going, and I assert that Mr. Massey deserves great credit for the strenuous way he worked to assist producers of this country. To say that Mr. Massey is not a wholehearted supporter of the dairy industry is as far from the truth as" anything can be. He is a fanner himself, and, to my knowledge, has persistently fought for the best interests of dairy farmers and other producers. The remarks of Mr. Morton that Mr. Massey promised to discuss a certain question with the Food Controller and did not do so are, so far as my knowledge goes, incorrect. If the reference by Mr. Morton is to the question of insurance, then Mr. Massey did deal with it. If the reference is to the recognition of Mr. Ellison as representative in England, then I have to say that Mr. Massey did what was possible at the time to do. He introduced, or secured an introduction to the Food Controller for Mr. Ellison, but the question was not alone one of price, it was a question of getting our produce away and securing the sympathy and assistance of the Shipping Controller for the far away New Zealand produce. Finally, I draw attention to this attack on the man in his absence, not as if the subject had not been fully discussed before, but it appears to have been resurrected for a purpose which it is not difficult to understand by those who may be called upon before long to exercise their franchise rights. I make no special appeal for Mr. Massey or any other would-be politician, but I ask for fair play.