MORE PRODUCTION

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 24, 8 November 1939, Page 2

MORE PRODUCTION

VIEWPOINT OF THE FARMERS. : DIFFICULTY OF THE POSITION. > pr (Special to the “Guardian.”) WELLINGTON, This Da* 3 The Dominion president of the New ' Zealand Farmers’ Union (Mr W. 3V. ■ Mulholland) has sent to the Prime Min- ’ ister a letter dealing with agricultural * problems. The letter, which is dated ■ November 3, is as follows: l “For the past three days the Do- • minion Executive of the Farmers’ Union have conferred in Wellington I with provincial presidents of the Union from all over New Zealand, and reprel sentatives of other bodies and organisations concerned with primary production in the Dominion. “The conference waited as a deputa--1 tion on your colleague the Minister of Finance, who had associated with him the Ministers for Agriculture, Labour, j and Forestry. AVhile appreciating their courtesy we are deeply concerned at the failure of the deputation to achieve results. “After consideration and reconsidera- ' tion 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 understand that the United Kingdom Government has already restricted the allowance of such important commodities as bacon and butter to 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 recent years are not only still existing but they have been accentuated and we believe that they will be further accentuated in the near future. These adverse circumstances are administrative, not physical. “If certain conditions were established it would be possible to rapidly and progressively 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 them the urgency and the seriousness of the situation. “We, therefore, consider that we would he guilty of a grave dereliction . of duty if we failed to inform you that ijhe 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 pretenting the fulfilment of our earnest desires in this respect.”