EMPIRE PRODUCERS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 April 1938, Page 3

EMPIRE PRODUCERS

THE NEED OF EFFECTIVE ORGANISATION CONFERENCE DISCUSSION / IN SYDNEY. VIEWS OF MR. MULHOLLAND. By Telegraph.—Press Association. SYDNEY. April 5.

The agreement reached at the Empire producers’ conference is regarded as a compromise on the proposals made by Sir R. Dorman Smith, following on a conference between the leaders of the delegation. Mr. W. W. Mulholland (President of the New Zealand Farmers' Union), moving a series of resolutions which were ultimately carried, said that the getting together of Empire producers in effective organisations might and could

mean a very great deal to them.' The Empire was so situated that it was particularly fortunate in having a Year-round supply of the most important produce that it consumed, but it was not so fortunately situated in regard to the actual marketing of produce. Naturally there must be a continuous supply of all products going to the United Kingdom market, in a stream very closely approximating to the market demand. Actually, in one season there were oversupplies and in another lesser supplies, with the result that quite frequently the price

that the producer received was depressed. However, no advantage accrued to the consumer, because almost invariably market movements resulted in the appearance of speculators, who took up the slack and made quite a bit of money out of it. It was therefore in the interests of the consumer as well as of. the producer that supplies to the United Kingdom market should be regulated. There was also the point that a regulated market could absorb more than one in which supplies fluctuated. It was also important that the regulation of supplies should be handled by producers in the producers’ interests. There had to be “a get together” movement among Dominion . farmers which would take a little time to accom-, p lish, but while that was a difficulty he did not wish to minimise, he did not think it a difficulty which could not be overcome. .