LAND, INDUSTRY AND MARKETS PRIMARY PRODUCTION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 November 1939, Page 2

LAND, INDUSTRY AND MARKETS

PRIMARY PRODUCTION

PERMANENT CONTROL FEARED GRAVE APPREHENSION EXPRESSED. DEPUTATION TO MINISTERS. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON. This Day. Grave apprehension as to the possibility of primary production being maintained at. its previous level was expressed by a representative deputation of the executive of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union and the provincial presidents which waited on the Minister of Finance and Marketing, Mr Nash, last evening. The Dominion president. Mr W. W. Mulholland, said the cause of this fear, which was to be found in every farming area and which had given rise to the farmers’ meetings which had been held recently all over New Zealand, were certain things which had taken place during the last few months in New. Zealand.

Also present at the interview were the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Lee Martin; the Minister of Labour, Mr Webb; and the Minister of Lands. Mr Langstone. Mr Mulholland emphasised that the movement to hold these meetings had been spontaneous. Some of the factors which were operating to unsettle the farmer might be cited as follows: — 1. The fear that the war is being used as an excuse for the introduction of the permanent State control of. industry in New Zealand. 2. The inadequacy of the guaranteed price for dairy produce. 3. The impossibility of procuring adequate, suitable farm labour. 4 The recent amendment to the Marketing Act taking away the safeguard of the price formula. “We are not here to protest against the Government having extraordinary and far-reaching powers in this crisis,” Mr Mulholland said. “But. sir. the very fact that the Government has' those very wide powers, if it cared to make use of them, makes it equally necessary that she Government, shall say very frankly that it does not intend to make any use of them except for the purpose of dealing with the present emergency.”

The inadequacy of the guaranteed price, he said, had been a considerable factor in the meetings which had been held. The Farmers’ Union supported the representations of the Dairy Industry Council completely. It also felt that it was perhaps particularly unfortunate that the announcement of the continuation of the same guaranteed price should have appeared side by side with the announcement that public works workers were to have an increase in their wages. The farmers felt that they were being treated in a diflerent way from the rest of the community. On the farm labour question. Mr Mulholland said the union had had reports of applications for men suitable for farm work which the local placement officers had had to admit they could not fill. Mr Webb: Of experienced farm workers.

Mr Mulholland: Reasonably experienced. The competition of other industries. Mr Mulholland added, and in particular of public works, which were able to offer more money and shorter hours, was one of the chief difficulties in regard to obtaining farm labour. “It is our earnest desire to assist the Empire in this crisis by expanding production to the utmost limit’of our ability, but we fell it our duty, in the interests both of the farmer and the Government, to draw attention to the difficulty that may arise if the British Government, after we have developed our production, restricts our exports to the United Kingdom,” Mr Mulholland said.

“We urge also that adequate steps be taken at the conclusion of the war for the disposal of surpluses which have accumulated during that period. We desire to assure the Government that if it is necessary, in view of the war situation, for the community to make sacrifices, farmers are prepared at all times to accept their full share.”