MASS MEETING

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 47, 5 December 1939, Page 3

MASS MEETING

/ TOWN AND COUNTRY UNITED. IMPORT CONTROL CRITICISED. GUARANTEED PRICE WEAKNESS. (Per Press Association). HAMILTON, December 4. A crowd - estimated at between 5000 and 6000 gathered at a mass meeting at Claudelands this afternoon, when various speakers spoke on the need for the revision of certain legislation, more particularly that relating to import control. Throughout the crowd was very orderly, only isolated heckling being apparent. The meeting was sponsored by the Hamilton Retailers’ Association on behalf of merchants, employers, employees and farmers. Hie majority of shops in Hamilton, Te Awamutu, Morrinsville, Matamata, and Otorohanga were also closed, and hundreds of people from these towns attended the meeting as well as many farmers.

Definite opposition to the meeting ay as expressed last week by the Waikato District Trades Council, which invited the Labour movement and supporters of the Government to ignore the meeting entirely. A workers’ emer : gency committee issued a circular and held a meeting of shop assistants, endeavouring to organise them in an effort not to attend the meeting. Yesterday morning notices of a threatening nature appeared on shop windows, pasted on by. unidentified persons. The Mayor of Hamilton (Mr H. D. Caro) presided over to-day’s meeting. Mr Caro said it was gratifying to see town and country united in organising the meeting, the first of its kind in New Zealand. It showed that farmers realised the* difficulties of the town people, and that those living in towns appreciated the difficulties facing farmers. It was only by united action that the people could help each other. Mr Caro added that the meeting was strictly non-political. Mi* B. W. Woodhams, speaking on beralf of retailers, said the retailer fully realised that some form of import control and restriction was necessary at present, and he believed the system now in force was a genuine endeavour to cope with a most difficult situation. “But we feel it our duty,” he said, ‘ to point out what we consider the effects of the present control scheme will be. We feel that the curtailment of supplies will become so serious within a few months that the majority of businesses will be unable to avoid retrenching seveerely in all directions.

Allocation of Sterling. “In the operation of the present import control scheme we should like to appeal for a less rigid interpretation. We 'suggest that instead of taking one year’s imports as a basis for issuing licences, the average of at least two years’ total imports should be used. Where only one year is used, any anomalies in the quantities of goods ordered in that particular year are perpetuated. A further suggestion we make is that licences for various tariff items should be interchangeable. This would not increase the total value of licences issued.

“Wo think also that consideration should be given to the idea of allocating an amount of sterling to each retailer for each period, and giving much more latitude to the individual as to what he actually imports. 1 ’ Mr A. J. Sinclair, on behalf of farmers, said that during the last three years butter production had declined by 80,3(30 tons, and cheese by a big amount, “This represents a loss of £4,000,000 in our sterling funds in London,” he said. “Had the industry continued to expand at a normal rate, there would have been at least £7,000,000 additional in our sterling funds to-day, and this meeting would not have been necessary.

“Here let met say a word 1 to the farmers whom I l’epresent to-day There is no intention at this meeting of asking for the lifting of the import restrictions. Mr Gainor Jacks m will tell you on behalf of the importers and merchants of Auckland city, that they realise, that this would be a calamity at the present juncture, that they know there is only one method by which the import restrictions can be safely lifted, namely, by an increase in the exports of primary produce sufficient to rehabilitate sterling funds in London. On behalf of the farmers, I assure the business people that if they will aim at that objective, the farmers will be behind them to a man. “The Government is asking lur our co-operation. We point out that cooperation is two-sided, and we ask fo*’ the co-operation of, the Government. The farmer refuses to be impressed, for instance, by Mr Savage’s messages over the aii, while he permits Lis friend Mr Scrimgeour to atack farmers and farmers’ organisations ever the air with his propaganda.”

Three Resolutions. Three resolutions were passed by the meeting. The first, on behalf of importers, employers, small retailers, and guilders, was: — “That this meeting declares that citizens of this part of the Dominion are ready and willing to co-operate with the remainder of the community on a broad national and strictly constitutional basis in any efforts that may be madelo restore overseas funds, from the short age of which the. community’ as a whole must inevitably suffer. Further, this meeting requests the Government to take steps to alleviate such of the wrongs from which the community is suffering as can he remedied immediately, and asks the Government for an assurance that if will call a halt in the policy of deliberately controlling the whole economic structure ot this Dominion under the guise of the war emergency.” The absolution on behnlt of employees was: — “That this, mass meeting of oniployeos of retail business in the Waikato expresses immediate concern ns to future,.employment, •and urges the Government to modify the import control regulations.” • The. following resolution was moved by Mr A. J. Sinclair, of Te AwatnUtu,

and. seconded by Mr W 7. N. Perry, of Cambridge:— “That this meeting of Waikato farmers desires to impress upon the Government that constant rises in internal costs, and lack of adequate skilled labour on farms through men being attracted to other avenues of industry by higher wages and shorter hours, have defeated the principles of the guaranteed price scheme, and are creating an injustice to the community by discouraging that increased production which a well-conceived Government policy would have fostered, thus creating a potential loss of millions of pounds in sterling funds. Further, in existing circumstances, we are compelled to ask the Government for a clear statement specifying its intentions in the direction of reducing costs on farms, and up to the point of shipment, and outlining the steps it intends to take towards -during the farming community in a. position to secure adequate skilled labour at rates and conditions comparable with those enjoyed by other sections of the community rendering equal service.”