FARMERS' PROBLEMS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 51, Issue 187, 22 May 1931, Page 4

FARMERS' PROBLEMS.

MR HAMILTON'S ADDRESS. There was only a small attendance in His Majesty's Theatre this' afternoon, when Mr Adam Hamilton. M.P. for Wallace, gave an address on the economic problems of the farmers of New Zealand to-day.' Mr G. H. B. Lill presided The Countv Chairman (Mr H. C. B. Wit'hell) welcomed Mi" Hamilton on behalf of the County, and there were also on the platform Messrs T. D. Burnett and D. Jones, M.P. s. Mr Hamilton dealt exhaustively with the problems of the farmers of to-dav, illustrating his remarks with the aid of a series of graphs showing the variation of prices between 1914 and 1931. The graphs showed the farmers' export prices, British wholesale prices, and the retail price, or the cost of living. He pointed out that the New Zealand farmer had to buy in the world's markets,, but lie could not sell there; life had to sell in the most expensive market., The War had! had an upsetting effect on the farmer, and now economics were taken on a 1914 basis. After the war started prices had risen, and the farmer had obtained a great advantage. Prices had again fallen, and only in 1925 had they become equal with those of the rest of the community. Sines then they had fallen steadily until they were now a long way below the 1914 parity. Concluding, he said that unless the farmer were saved he thought New Zealand would ultimately go down.