BUTTER PRICES.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 October 1920, Page 8

BUTTER PRICES.

(To the Editor.) St.—Ti jj liardly an answer to my questions for yon to reply Hint it Is evident I do not know the conditions of Taranaki dairy life. As a matter of fact I do; but even if I did not it Is surely possible for ytu, having made a statement, to support It by quoting facts. The truth is the facts do not support your assortVns. and tlio letter v-u publish from Mr. R. J. Preston is more to the point. He speaks as a practical man, and his admission Is that where farming is carried nut on proper lines it pays handsome!?, with butter-fat at less than famine prices. If farmers like to pay twice or tl'ree times as untich for land as It it worth, and are content to stock It with inferior cows, trusting to a lucky sale of the land to enrich them, why on earth should they expect to he remunerated heyond the true value of that which they produ-o? Surely, like any other trader, they sle .1.1 stand or tall by the ability and efflrleury they bring to their business. Of course, if there were proper competition, thoy would hnre to do so, but, as the whole producing industry is one irreat combination try all intents and purposes, the price for products Is In no way related to work dojie, whether efficiently or otherwise. Prom the consumers' point of view (In New Zealand) the producers have no right to be assisted at a cost of thousands of pounds annually out of the public purse, and ttea turn round and deny the country t!»" first call on the produce of the soil a. - a rca. ionable rate. When (ho time comes - tlio'. tames of land shrink, as come It must when prices for products fall, we shall be faced wWh a clamor for "the country" to assist mortgagors and mortgagees, and Willi im Fc-r----gusoa Masaey wHI bo telling us that the vhole reso-irces of "(ho country" .mist bo rtlllsed to prevent, "our primary ind'.Htrics" from collapse, and *he whole line of tricks about "the small farmer," "the years of patient toi l ," etc, will be worked to death. In other words. In the day or adversity the general public wlli be asked to "carry the baby." and there is no argument worth the name which can be put forward wry the same "general public" should be fleeced in the day of prosperity.—l am, etc., P.D.

October 22nd, 1920. \ [The above is a fair sample of the misrepresentation to which the dairyman .Is so frequently subjected. The writer seeks to show that the dairyman is an exploiter or profiteer, when, as a matter of fart, he has been the exploited party from tte time of ihe Government commandeer. He never sot the marRet price for his produce, tlrough his production costs steadily Increased. Even the wage, earners In towns were able to secure Increased wages to meet the upward rise. The dairyman has been "carrying in recent years, and not the public. Ho may have to face lean years In (.lie near future, wnjrh, 1r all the more, reason why lie should not now be dented the market price, for* when iiat time comes he will get little sympatic or lelp from the public, who will turn round and say that he must take the lean with the fat, "F.P." asks us to substantiate our statement that tre dairyman was the hardest worked and poorest paid section of the community. We asked him to vislr an average farm and he would be able to get this proof for himself. If b.' requires further proof wc would suggc.t that ho peruse the report of the evidence given before the Parliamentary Butter Committee, or the figures recently submitted io tho. Taranakl executive of the Farmers' Union by Mr 12 Maxwell. But all the evidence available on the subject would, we fear, have little or no affect on one who Is so obviously biassed against the dairyfarmer, the real backbone of this province.— ■Ed.}