Wairarapa Times-Age THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 1938. JUSTICE FOR THE FARMER.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 April 1938, Page 6

Wairarapa Times-Age THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 1938. JUSTICE FOR THE FARMER.

YVJse counsel was offered- by the Wairarapa provincial president of the Farmers’ Union (Mr Hugh Morrison) in the statement he forwarded to the Masterton branch of that body yesterday,, not least in what he had to say in advocacy of a united and non-party stand by farmers in support of their common interests. Mr Morrison used reason and common sense also in what lie had to say on the subject of economic justice to farmers.

His observations are timely, since, some even of those who profess to lie fully alive to the importance to the whole community of the prosperity of our staple primary industries go strangely astray in their ideas of what can and can not be done for the farmer. For instance, the president of the New Zealand Labour Party (Mr J. Roberts) said in an address to the party conference the other day that until the present Government came into power

the farmers were forced to compete in. the world’s markets against countries producing the same commodities but with a much lower standard, of living. The Labour Party and the Labour Government decided that it was not right that the farmer should meet this unfair competition, and that (instead) he should be guaranteed an income and economic security the same as other sections of wealth producers.

These observations plainly imply that since Labour took office, what might be called some sort of economic revolution has been effected on behalf of farmers. It is perfectly clear, however, that in the case of a considerable proportion of the farmers of the Dominion there is no foundation whatever for this remarkable claim. The position of sheep farmers, for example, is that, now as formerly, their returns are determined solely by what their products fetch in unsheltered competition in world markets. On the other hand, the working costs of all farmers have been raised considerably.

Dairy farmers are now receiving a guaranteed price. This price, as yet, has approximated, pretty closely to what has been obtained by the sale of produce in external markets. The system of stabilising returns by averaging those of good and bad years has undoubted merit. Two questions, however, suggest themselves. One of these is: “If the dairy farmer, or any other farmer, is to obtain more for his produce than it brings in external stile, where is the amount of the additional payment to come from?” The oilier question is: “If, on an average, the farmer is to obtain nothing more than his produce realises on external, markets, what is the benefit (apart from the averaging of returns) that the Labour. Government is supposed to be conferring on the farmer?”

Carrying the matter a little further, it appears to be self-evident that if the farmer’s working costs are raised, as they have been, and he is to receive on an average no more than is obtained for his produce in oversea markets, he is going to be worse off. and not better off, than he has been. To this it must be added that no obvious means are available of increasing the returns on primary produce. We have no control over prices in overseas markets and if any addition, is to be made to the amount of these prices it must either be drawn from the taxation of non-farming sections of the community or obtained by methods of inflation which would depreciate the general currency of the. Dominion. Either of these methods must be classed as impracticable, for the reason, amongst others, that New Zealand, as the president of the Labour Party observed in the address from which a quotation has already been made, “is .mainly a primary producing country as yet.” It thus appears that, the only feasible method of safeguarding the interests of farmers, and national interests which hinge upon those of farmers, is to establish and maintain a fair economic balance between farmers and other sections of the community.