OVER £62,500,000

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23830, 4 December 1940, Page 11

OVER £62,500,000

EXPORTS OF PRODUCE MARKETING OPERATIONS VIEWS ON THE SYSTEM [BY TEL'EGTIAPTT —SPECIAL REPORTER] AY EL LT N O TON, Tuesday "The Export Marketing Division during last season handled over £'02,000.000 worth of goods expressed in New Zealand money," said Mr. J. G. ! Barclay (Government —Mnrsden), when | opening the debate on the Marketing : Department. reports in the House ol | Representatives to-night. The time-limit I for speakers was specially extended to ;i0 minutes on account of the importance of the subject and urgency was taken. ''Exports of dairy produce for last I season w ere £2o, 199.000, ' Mr. Barclay Continued, "meat products exported I amounted to £ 19.000.000, wool to j £1(3.375),000. and tallow, woolly sheepskins, scheelite and other items accounted for the balance. The total was £02,500,000. It. is a tremendous lot ol produce." Farmers and Minister Mr. F. AY. Doidge (Opposition —Tauranga): You should be grateful to the farmer. Mr. D. C. Kidd (Opposition—WaitakO : He is not grateful to the Government. Mr. Barclay: I think most of the I farmers are grateful to the railwaymen land seamen and all others who help get. their produce to market. "The Minister of Marketing, the Hon. W. Nash, has been accused up and ! down this country of not taking interested parties into consideration, ' Mr. Barclay continued. "He has considered all of them in the same fair way that he did with the woolgrowers. He is the man who has done more than anybody else to bring stability into the sale of our produce and to tho dairy farmers." Mr. AY. J. Poison (Opposition —Stratford) : Did you say stability or debility? Government's Intentions The Government intended to continue with the guaranteed price principle, no matter what the Opposition or the Farmers' Union might say, Mr. Barclay said. It would continue, too, after the war was over. Increases shown in production in the j first three months of this season were ! also mentioned by Mr. Barclay, who j said butter production had risen by 27 per cent and cheese by 60 per cent. Mr. Doidge: You are not suggesting the Government has anything to do with that? Mr. Barclay: We have a. lot to do with it. Mr. Doidge: The increase is because the farmer is putting his back into it. Mr. Barclay: If there was a decline the Government would get the blame | for it. Mr. Poison: It is only fair to say that to some extent the Government's drive for production has been responsible. Mr. Doidge: The farmers are proud of what they are doing and they are doing it for Winston Churchill. " Theory Cast Overboard " The dairy farmer's trouble was that he was receiving 1914 prices for his goods and paying 1940 costs, said Mr. W, .J. Broadfoot (Opposition—Waitomo). Millions every year had been taken out of the farmers' pocket and given to less worthy members of the community. The Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser: Who is less worthy? Mr. Broadloot: People who are not working the number ot hours the farming community does and who are getting more wages. The guaranteed price was a glittering name for an equalisation scheme, 31r. Broadfoot said. Costs had been increasing for five years and under the present regime would continue to mount.

"We wore told that the guaranteed price had no relation to overseas realisations," Mr .Bvoadfoot added. "We were deluded by thus beautiful theory of insulation. That theory was east overboard and we have the Minister now saying that prices overseas are a factor that had to be considered in the main in fixing the guaranteed price." Dairy Farmer's Position "The Government is charging the producer interest at 1} per cent on the deficit, in the Dairy Industry Account," said Mr. \\ . S. Goosman (Opposition Waikato). He said the money borrowed from the Reserve .Bank cost, the Government nothing, but the Government was making a profit out of it at the expense of the dairy fanner. Mr. Goosman said that four vears' operation oi the Government's marketing and guaranteed price policy had resulted in the dairy industry being mortgaged to the extent of (.'2.000,000. on which the industry Mas paving interest. The guaranteed price had been used as an excuse tor raising wages to workers governed by awards. It could not be anything else but an equalisation fund. "I would advise the producer to regain control of the industry at the lirst opportunity." he added. "They can run their business better than anv Labour Government." The debate was continued until a late hour, when .Mr. Barclay replied. MISINTERPRETED REPORT MR. FRASER EXPLAINS JUDGES OF SUPREME COURT [B V TEL KG It A)' Ir - Sl'Kf IA Llt EI'O RT Elt ] WKL IA XCS T( )X, Tuesday The Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser, said in the House of Representatives to-night that his attention had been directed to a press report in the third person of his remarks in the committee stage of the Small Farms Amendment Bill and which contained the following words:—"Tin? Government was convinced that the tribunals would do the job better than it, had been done previously." The report did not purport to he verbatim. Mr. Fraser said, hut it was pointed out thai the condensation of his remarks which appeared in it lent itself to the impression that he was personally, by implication, reflecting on the work of the Judges of the Supreme Court, in connection with land eoinpoiisat ion cases, "Nothing was further from my thoughts," said Mr. Fraser, "than to create any such impression and certainly I had no such intention of casting the slightest doubt on the capacity or integrity of the Judges; indeed, as I considered that 1 was meticulously careful to ensure that mv remarks should be free from any misconstruction, I was surprised to be informed that the misinterpretation mentioned was possible. "I felt somewhat aggrieved that even from a. report necessarily much abbreviated anyone could possibly gather the impression that I was so unmindful of my position as Prime Minister and leader of the House of Representatives as to express lack oT confidence in the Judges. However, as the matter lias been raised. I am pleased to fake this opportunity of stating that, like my immediate predecessor in office, Mr. Savage, and all former Prime Ministers. 1 have full confidence in the Judges of the Supreme Court and nothing but admiration for their ability, integrity arid devotion to the principles of justice."