PRIMARY PRODUCTION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 November 1939, Page 7

PRIMARY PRODUCTION

OBSTACLES TO INCREASED OUTPUT PROTEST UY THE FARMERS’ UNION. LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER. Following upon representations made last week to the Minister of Finance (Mr Nash) and a number of his colleagues. on the subject of the conditions m which primary producers are being asked to increase production, the following letter was addressed to the Prime Minister (Mr Savage), on Friday last, by ihc New Zealand Farmers' Union: —

"Sir- For the past three days the Dominion Executive of the Farmers' Union have conferred in Wellington with Provincial Presidents of the Union from .ill over New Zealand, and representatives of other bodies and organisations concerned with primary production in the Dominion. The conference waited as a deputation on your colleague the Minister of Finance whe had associated with him the Ministers for Agriculture. Labour, Lands and Forestry. While appreciating then courtesy we are deeply concerned at the failure of the deputation to achieve results. After consideration and reconsideration of the situation the conference has instructed me to address you on the subject. "For the past two years the volume of our production has steadily fallen off. We understood that the United Kingdom Govern,ment has already restricted the allowance of such important commodities as bacon and butter tc 4ozs. per person per week, and has called for a substantial increase in the production of those products. If all the circumstances were most favourable a certain time must elapse before increased production could materialise but the circumstances are not favourable. The conditions which caused the decline in production during recen; years are not only still existing bit) they have been accentuated, and wc believe that they will be further accentuated in the near future. These adverse circumstances are administra tive. not physical. “If certain conditions were established it would be possible rapidly anc progressively to increase the output of primary produce and we have so informed your Ministers. But we deeply regret to inform you that we appear to have failed to impress upon thenthe urgency and the seriousness of the situation.

“We, therefore, consider that we would be guilty of a grave dereliction of duty if we failed to inform you that the people of the United Kingdom should not rely upon obtaining any substantially increased supplies from this Dominion.

"Realising that the production of essential foodstuffs is an important line of defence, vitally necessary for the successful prosecution of the war. we are profoundly disturbed by the situation and we beg to assure you that all our 30,000 members are desperately anxious to play their part in the defence of the Empire to which we-are so proud to belong, and we are still endeavouring to overcome the obstacles which are preventing the fulfilment of our earnest desires in this respect.—(Signed) W. W. Mulholland, Dominion -President.”