COSTS & PRICES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 July 1938, Page 7

COSTS & PRICES

THE POSITION OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES PROPOSALS BY FARMERS’ UNION SPECIAL STATISTICAL DEPARTMENT (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The principle of compensated prices, as applicable to all branches of the primary industries, was supported by the New Zealand Farmers’ Union when the Dominion conference was resumed in Wellington yesterday. Several remits on the subject were carried, and the conference approved a suggestion that a special statistician’s department be set up under the control of a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society of Great Britain, the object being to compile and examine all data relating to the net disability of the Dominion farming industry.

When the proposal was under discussion delegates said the responsibility of assessing the farmer’s disability was not that of the Farmers’ Union, but was the responsibility of the Government. It was stated that if the Government failed to grant the union’s request to set up a special statistical department, the union would have a definite indication that the Government was not prepared to help farmers in a fair and equitable way. The discussion on the compensated price question followed an address given in committee by Colonel Closey, who dealt with technical aspects of the subject. THE COMPENSATING PRICE The following remits' were adopted: That the compensating price campaign offers the most effective means of organising all farmers and securing for them economic justice. This conference urges that the Farmers’ Union give the campaign its wholehearted support. That this confeernce affirms that the principle of the compensated price is applicable to all branches of the primary industries as. a matter of equity and justice, but without a commandeer of the products by the Government. That any surplus in the dairy industry account at the end of any season should be paid in full to the producers through their respective dairy companies.

The following resolution, moved by Mr J. H. Furniss, Ruawaro, Huntly, was originally proposed as an amendment to the first two remits, but was subsequently withdrawn and, with sections 4 and 5 deleted, was carried separately:

(1) That a special statistician’s department be set up under the control of a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society of Great Britain (to be nominated by the council of that society). (2 That special statisticians be instructed to compile and examine all necessary data to assess net disability (after allowing for all direct and indirect concessions, freight, insurance, handling and other transport charges, if any) suffered by the New Zealand primary and exporting industries by reason of and/or other charges imposed by legislation from ... .to the present day. (3) To then assess by all necessary data similarly compiled the continuing disability suffered by the exporting industries from year to year. (4) To supply such assessed disabilities in the form of an equation to the arbitration tribunal. (5) To set up a special arbitration tribunal which shall consist of equal number of assessors appointed by the farming industries, and the Government, presided over by 'a Supreme Court judge, andwhich shall decide the prices of primary products by an interpretation, in terms of New Zealand money, of the assessed disability supplied by the special statistician; and such prices shall be binding on all parties and upon the Government.

(N.B.—lt is considered that the disability extends back as far as the introduction of protective tariffs, and 'the inception of heavy capital expenditure from the process of loans). A REMEDY SOUGHT Mr A. Briscoe Moore, Auckland who moved the first two remits, said the compensated price principle was the remedy for most farming disabilities, and should be extended to other branches of the farming industry. “It is just a question of whether the wool grower does not need this protection,” he added. “The sheep-farmer has been badly hit, both on the producing and marketing side, and four of the big buying countries of the world are practically out of the market.” Mr A. E. Lambert, Te Teko, Auckland, said the compensated price principle was applicable not only to dairying, but to all sections of the farming community. He emphasised that the improvement in the economic prosperity of the farmer was the basis for building up prosperity for the whole of the community. With the fall of the farmer’s income the measure of employment obtainable in other industries followed as a natural consequence. Captain H. M. Rushworth, M.P., Bay of Islands, said the motion moved by Mr Furniss referred to the net disability suffered by exporters by reason of legislation of the past three-quarters of a century. Statistical information at present available was not reliable, and some machinery by which they could arrive at the desired information was necessary. PROTEST BY PRESIDENT The Dominion president, Mi- W. W. Mulholland, said the reference to a special arbitration would entirely alter the basis of the union’s policy. If carried, it would split the union from top to bottom. Mr Mulholland opposed the amendment and added that the union had always opposed a tribunal being set up to fix dairy prices in New Zealand. The question was too urgent to bother about collecting statistics, he said, and if a commission was set up to take evidence, how much action

would be taken on the commission’s recommendations? “Commissions have little influence on politics,” Mr Mulholland added. “The only influence on politics is votes. We have to press the campaign now, and we have to face a very serious situation. It would be stupid to sidestep the campaign into an argument about statistics. We have a policy now which the whole country admits to be sound. The setting of prices by a tribunal will mean the control of an industry in detail by a tribunal or by Government action.” Time and again, Mi- Mulholland added, he had to face a division created among farmers under a nebulous idea, but, following explanations of the situation, farmers had agreed with the union’s plank. Mr E. R. Bird, Auckland, said last year’s price-fixing committee was given figures compiled by the Government. The amendment moved by Mr Furniss was an attempt to obtain an unbiased person to measure the disability of New Zealand farmers. The Dairy Board was trying to do it. and Government information would be put up against them. Following further discussion, Mr Furniss withdrew his amendment in favour of its being put as a separate motion. Sections 4 and 5 of the amendment were deleted.