PRODUCTION DOWN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 July 1939, Page 7

PRODUCTION DOWN

PRESSURE OF FARMING COSTS OPPOSITION MEMBER’S CRITICISM. NEED OF STABILISATION. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Examples of the decline in primary production in New Zealand were given by Mr Gordon (Opposition, Rangitikei) during the Address-in-Reply debate in the House of Representatives yesterday. Exports, he said, were down by 12.5 per cent last year. The farming industry was being killed by the added costs for which the Government was alone to blame. The country’s basic industry, said Mr Gordon, had slipped badly since the present Government came into office. -The total farming area in occupation had decreased in three years by 121,404 acres. Land that had fallen back into scrub and fern had increased in three years by 187,562 acres, and barren and unproductive land had increased by 162.443 acres. During that time dairy herds had decreased by 78,710 cows, and the numbers of pigs had been reduced by 51,997. Wool production for 1938 showed a substantial decrease and the sheep returns for this year revealed a drop of 500.000 sheep.

“The load of costs on the farmer is too heavy,” said Mi- Gordon. “The primary industries have been neglected badly by this administration. These are the key industries which produce the greater part of our wealth, but they are being scrapped and neglected to boost along public works which should be done gradually.” Discussing the guaranteed price for dairy produce. Mr Gordon said that the marketing scheme had proved thoroughly successful so far as he knew. Even if the present Government had not come into office there would have been a similar marketing scheme. The great dispute between the dairy farmers and the Government, was that the latter had broken its contract. The final control of the industry should be taken out of the hands of Ministers and the farmers should be given the right to take their case to a Court of Appeal for justice. The Minister of Marketing should not have the right to set aside his own agreement with the industry whenever it suited him. The dairy-farmer had been asked to accept for the comingseason the same price as last season, even though that price was fjd a lb below the price recommended by the advisory committee. The Government was prepared to stabilise the. farmer’s income, but not his costs. The stock and station agents were defended by Mr Gordon. He said they were giving a great service to the farming industries. He knew of many farmers who had received their start on the land from the stock and station firms.