SOURCE OF IRRITATION

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 65, Issue 196, 1 June 1945, Page 4

SOURCE OF IRRITATION

LEGISLATION AFFECTS FARMERS. V# . •,. • - . - fj’S r ' •- ' v • , PROTESTS MADE •• ' ' | • ‘ ■ i Compulsory holiday pay for employees, unsatisfactory handling of lump sum payments from Britain, and fjfe decision of the Government to deduct £400,000 annually from the increased price paid by Britain for New Zealand meat in order to subsidise local consumption, were described as a source of - irritation to fanners by tile president of the Mid-Canterbury Executive of the Farmers’ Ufltion (Mr P. J. Mowat) in his address at the annual conference of the executive to-day. ; Mr Mowat .said the union had lodged • protests against the decision of- the Government about meat payments Without success. Butchers were toot accepting the subsidy, and no payuient was being made, and no informatipta was available; which fund it was 'to" be paid from'. j '4;’- Step Toward Socialisation. •legislation was apparently proposed which would prove most contentious atod would affect producers considerably. The proposed acquisition of the Bank of. New Zealand by the Government could only be regarded as a step tjtgyard complete socialisation and must give .cause for very serious * thought. ‘, : The proposed abolition of the country quota concerned farmers very vitally, and if put into effect must deny country people the representation they were entitled to in Parliament. The taking'-of a -census when so, many people, were absent 1 from their usual domicile was to be deplored and could not give a true indication of the disposition of the population. 'While admitting the impossibility of a cast-iron stabilisation policy and the in|ed for an equitable form of stabilisation, it was abundantly clear that the people, ; or at least some sections, vyjpre slaves of a policy instead of that policy being the servant of the people, slid Mr Mowat. The time had come for consideration of a new agreement to bring prices, for prftnary products to a sufficiently high level to cover all increases in costs. Such an agreement .could only be equitable if responsible members of the Government pledged themselves to honour it and it was _ made effective by Act of Parliament.