JUSTICE SOUGHT

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20958, 10 November 1939, Page 7

JUSTICE SOUGHT

PROTESTS AT TIRAU LOYALTY UNQUESTIONED ECONOMIC PRICE WANTED (Special to Times) TIRAU, Thursday Farmers from the Tirau, Putaruru and Matamata districts crowded the Tirau Hall today when a mass meeting was held to seek justice for the farming community. Mr K. S. Cox, president of the Putaruru branch of the N.Z. Farmers’ Union, presided. The speakers included Mr H. W. Nixon, of Putaruru, and Mr D. V. Bryant, of Hamilton. Economic Injustice It would be futile to petition the Governor-General to dissolve Parliament, said Mr H. W. Nixon. If it were shown that over 99 per cent of the farmers were united in the view that they were suffering from economic injustice, no Government could fail to agree to a compromise that would be acceptable. It was absolutely vital that there should be national unity for a mighty national effort. Mr D. V. Bryant quoted from farm balance-sheets to show that the present stabilising price for butterfat from good farm land was a satisfactory one. He agreed that it was impossible to develop marginal lands on the price, and he considered that £1 spent on land improvement was worth £2O spent on public works. Mr P. H. Hawke, Hinuera, said Mr Nash had let the farmer down, and on his motion it was decided to ask the Farmers’ Union to convene a meeting of farmers and business men, to be held in Hamilton, to select a delegation to go to Wellington and ask for economic justice. The following resolution was carried:—

“ This meeting of fai'mers of the Matamata, Putaruru and surrounding districts affirms its desire to assist the Dominion and Empire to the maximum extent in the crisis that has led to war. The farmer claims that his loyalty is above question, and he believes that the best contribution he can make to the common cause is to maintain and, if possible, increase production of foodstuffs and raw materials. But he is convinced that, unless something can be done, and done quickly, to reduce production costs and ensure a supply of reasonably efficient labour, he will not be.able to make that contribution. “ As these issues are quite outside the power of the individual to control, he sincerely urges the Government: (1) To provide a price that will be economic and enable production io be increased; (2) to give the producer an assurance that the peculiar condition due to the war will not be used to determine his position when the national industrial life returns to normal.”

TE AWAMUTU PROTEST POINTS FROM MEETING LOYALTY TO EMPIRE (Special to Times) TE AWAMUTU, Friday A point made by speakers at the mass meeting of farmers at Te Awamutu yesterday was that the farmers yielded place to none in their loyalty to the British Empire. Mr A. J. Sinclair stressed this in his opening remarks, and Mr C. S. Alexander declared that the farmers were prepared to make any needed sacrifice for the Empire and shoulder their full share. However, it was felt that other sections in the community should come into line. The farmers were prepared to co-operate with the Government if the latter would reciprocate. The terms of the commandeer of ; lamb, meat and wool, said Mr Alexander, were very indefinite, and there was no undertaking to lift the restriction within a reasonable time after the conclusion of the war. As a war measure it was accepted, but it gave the Government complete control for an indefinite period and amounted to socialisation of all means of production. Award Wages A motion was put forward that the Government be called upon to revise awards immediately with a view to fixing wages at the level of the remuneration earned by farmers. The speaker held that such a step would test the willingness of other sections of the community to make the sacrifice which the farmers were called upon to make, because of the failure of the Government to adjust the guaranteed price to meet the rise in costs. The desirability of such a resolution was questioned by some of those present, but it was declared carried on the voices. Fate of Resolutions When the meeting was putting through a series of resolutions, someone asked if the fate of the resolutions would be that of many others, passed and then forgotten. However, it is understood that the resolutions passed will be forwarded to the Dairy Control Board.