MEAT AND WOOL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 109, 11 May 1939, Page 5

MEAT AND WOOL.

GUARANTEED PRICE. PROPOSAL NOT FAVOURED. OPPOSITION IN FEILDING. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) FETLDIXG, this day. Attended by about 400 mem hers, a meeting held at Feildinjr yesterday under the auspices of the Farmers' Union voted solidly against ths proposal to introduce a guaranteed price for meat and wool. Only three voted for the proposal. An address was given by Mr. AV. Mulholland. Dominion president of the union, explaining the serious position which sheepfarmers in Xew Zealand are in to-day. He advocated as a relief measure a free exchange and a reduction in farmers' taxation and costs. Mr. L. Hammond, group president, Raid that as the guaranteed price had not saved the dairy farmers from inability to meet costs, no good purpose would be served by the slieepfarmers adopting a similar scheme. If tliorc was any control of the industry at nil H should be placed in the hands of the farmers themselves, similar to the Meat Board, which had done wonderful work. The following motion wn.-t carried unanimously: — That this meeting urgently draws the attention of the ( Jovernment and public to the steadily deteriorating economic position nf the farming industry, wliieh —notwithstanding increased personal efforts by the fanner, while not suffering from over-valuation of land or unduly high rates or interest, and while realising for produce? average juices which under normal conditions should enable farming to be carried on successfully—is unable from proceeds to meet, the ever-increasing costs which are pressing so heavily upon the industry as to make the position desperate for a large proportion of primary producers.