MORE FARMING PRODUCTION

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 69, Issue 293, 23 September 1949, Page 5

MORE FARMING PRODUCTION

NERD EMPHASISED BY MR W. E. HALE (P.A.): AUCKLAND, Sept. 22. The devaluation of sterling in terms of the American dollar must eventually reduce the standard of living of every person in New Zealand unless primary production was increased, said the chairman of directors (Mr W. E. Hale) at the annual meeting of the Auckland Farmers’ Freezing Company, Ltd., to-day. That increase, to be adequate, must provide more food for the United Kingdom and additional primary products to supply to the United States, he said.

“This new international exchange adjustment will increase the New Zealand producers’ costs,” Mr Halesaid. “If the demands of workers in the United Kingdom and New Zealand for increased wages are met without a corresponding increase in production, insolvency will develop. In fact, a near state of insolvency exists now and will not be avoided unless the output per man in the secondary and primary industries can be increased.

“I can see no rapid increase in production in New Zealand unless the Government of the day has the goodwill of the farming community. Farmers will give rapidly the increased production desired, provided there is an adjustment of the Land Sales Act, 1943, and that there are prices that will allow a competitive price to be paid for labour. “Until this is done it is understandable that some farmers may regard it as a bad policy to increase production—it will be like signing an execution warrant for the producer’s farm to be taken over under the Land Sales Act.”