DOMINION'S NEEDS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 152, 28 June 1940, Page 6

DOMINION'S NEEDS.

WORK AND SACRIFICE.

MORE PRODUCTION ESSENTIAL

APPEAL, TO FARMERS.

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.)

NAPIER, this day,

If we lose the war we lose everything," declared Mr. W. J. Poison, M.P., during an appeal to farmers of the Wairoa district, in continuation of his tour of Hawke's Bay and the East Coast for the promotion of increased production. Mr. Poison appealed directly for personal sacrifice, and underlined the appeal by pointing out that whereas anyone in New Zealand might partake or anything he desired it was learned that by new regulations in Great Britain it had now become an offence for anyone to partake of more than two courses at one meal.

Mr. Poison placed eggs at the head of the list of commodities Britain required from New Zealand in increased quantity. Britain, he said, was short of eggs by 200,000 tons a year. Their importance lay in the fact that eggs represented concentrated food.

New Zealand, he added, had given Britain an undertaking that she would rapidly build up a large egg export business, to which end the Government intended to apply t'hree measures, firstly, the operation of poultry regulations, Secondly the provision of reasonably cheap supplies of poultry feed, and. thirdly, an assurance of a minimum price for exported eggs. "Those considerations combined will give egg producers every confidence to go on with the job now clearly ahead of them," said Mr. Poison.

Increased export of pig meat was also required from New Zealand, he said. Here again a little self-sacrifice of personal tastes was all that was required to bring about a substantial increase in the supplies available for export. Mr. Poison described Britain's need of more cheese as being of far greater importance than the question of what was going to happen to finances of any dairy factory which might be inconvenienced Or harassed by problems arising from a swing-over from butter ■to cheese production. N.Z. Fertiliser. Mr. Poison dealt at length with the problem of fertiliser supplies, and offered an encouraging opinion of the possible use of serpentine, which is now

the subject of experimentation by the Government, and which is available in Zealand's own mineral deposits. 'He also referred to the needs assigned to the South Island, which 'briefly comprised the cultivation of nearly 16,000 acres of linen flax for use in aeroplane construction in Britain—production which would not be undertaken in the North Island owing to a form of rust which made the growing of linen flax impossible except in a few isolated areas. The provision of labour for farms and adequate housing for such new men as were drafted into farm work were also reviewed by Mr. Poison, who dealt finally with the problems of finance necessary to enable farmers to increase their " production. Finance, he said, would be available through dairy companies for any credit to a farmer who explained to the company satisfactory and practicable proposals for increased production on his own land. As far as prices were concerned, the farmer would get for his produce an amount equal to that of the past year. There would be no reduction, but it was unlikely there would be an increase. "We are not going to embarrass the Mother Country to-day by asking for an increase in prices. There will be no overtime and everyone will do his job at ordinary rates of pay on and off the farm." A Voice: The watersider, toot Mr. Poison: I said everyone. Finally, Mr. Poison, appealed for sacrifice, hkrd work and co-operation. "Let us have it in this district a* elsewhere. When the struggle is over let everyone be able to hold up his head and say 'we have done our bit. We have nothing with which to reproach ourselves.'"