FARM BATTLE FRONT

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21176, 27 July 1940, Page 3

FARM BATTLE FRONT

LOW COSTS IMPORTANT (Special to Times.) MATAMATA, Thursday “In this fight for freedom there are many battle fronts on which each one of us must do his or her best to secure ultimate victory,” said Mr P. P. Hawke, chairman of the Hinuera Co-operative Dairy Company, at the annual meeting of suppliers today. “Our battle front here today is that of primary production. We must exert every ounce of our energy to raise production to the highest volume obtainable. “Let no man think that he or his ! output are in any way insignificant,” said Mr Hawke. “It will be just that extra individual output from each j farm, large and small, that will in the aggregate enable us to keep faith with Britain.” Margarine Competition At one period producers in New ; Zealand were disturbed over the official popularisation of margarine in the United Kingdom to the detri- ; ment of butter sales, said Mr Hawke, j Owing to the German invasion of Norway, the principal supplier of j whale oil, from which margarine was largely manufactured, and to the invasion of Denmark, cutting off supplies of butter to Britain, the margarine threat had for the time being receded into the background; but it was for the time being only, and farmers should give attention now to the acute position that might well arise after the war.

“The greatest bulwark against encroachments upon our markets, either at home or abroad, is a low cost of primary production,” Mr Hawke declared. “No monetary manipulation, no planning schemes can serve in the end in the absence of low costs. The things to fight for are:—(l), free trade, especially with the United Kingdom; and (2), either the abolition of the Arbitration Court or the fixing by the court, so long as the State buys our produce and fixes the price, of the guaranteed price upon the basis of our costs of production and living.”