"DIDDLED"

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 120, 23 May 1945, Page 3

"DIDDLED"

tUMP SUM PAYMENT

FARMERS DISSATISFIED

Lump sum payments totalling £28,000,000 sterling, made to New Zealand by the United Kingdom Government were discussed at length at to-day's sitting of the Auckland provincial Council of the New Zealand Fanners' Union. A number of speakers blamed the leaders of the farming- community for not being what they termed "sufficiently wide awake" to the interests of the primary producers, while others considered it was the duty of the farmers to get more solidly behind the leaders. Mr B. O'Connor (Waikato) said ■ that in future the farmers should have the best legal and technical advice when negotiations were conducted with the Minister of Finance, Mr Nash. New Zealand's sterling balances stood at £52,500,000. Never before had they been so high. The only way to get that money back into New Zealand was by purchasing British goods. He envisaged the introduction in future of motor cars and other luxury lines instead of tractors, manures, and other commodities needed by the farmers. The producers were in the hands of the Government. Fair Deal for Britain Mr. H. T. McGahan (Rotorua) said the farmers should show that they meant business. They should do more than talk and see that Britain got a fair deal from New Zealand. "We do appreciate the work done on our own behalf by our leaders," said Mr. S. S. Green (Northern Wairoa). "There is, however, an undercurrent of feeling that the farmers had been 'diddled' out of a considerable portion of the sum that Britain Save to New Zealand. The Dominion ad beenwell treated by the Mother Country, and New Zealand responded by sending orders to America, purchasing at export prices, and actually using money provided, by Britain." Mr. T. G. Lee (Whangarei) said he believed in purchasing everything possible from Britain, but did Britain manufacture machinery of the same class as America? A chorus of voices: Yes. Mr. Lee indicated that Britain was not producing the machinery. New Zealand farmers needed. There was a definite feeling that the producers had not received the money they were entitled to, said Mr. R. H, Feisst (Cambridge). Much of the inbney received by the Government'was used to subsidise groups working lesser hours than formerly and giving lesser services. The farmers had said they did not want to make a profit out of the war. That was relative. If other sections were profiting by the war the farmers should be, in same position.

After, further discussion, the following motidn, moved by Mr. R. W. Dunning. (Bay of Plenty) was adopted:. "That the new organisation representing farmers pledges itself t6'take-all steps to alter the general policy, of New Zealand, as ft is our considered opinion that, unless the social structure be based on a free and fiancially strong fawning community, we as a nation must fail."