Conservatives Tackle Problem Of Production In Britain

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 14713, 3 July 1948, Page 4

Conservatives Tackle Problem Of Production In Britain

Agricultural Charter

Published

Government Trading To Be

Barred

(By a Diplomatic Correspondent) London, June 28.

The British Conservatives' Agricultural Charter was published this weekend and with their industrial. and agricultural policies now laid down on general lines there remain only two main flags to be run up—imperial affairs and women's rights. This may not be ready in time to be laid before the Party conference in October but should in any case,be "available before the New Year. The main agricultural proposals may be summarised as: — (1) Home production to be 50 per cent, greater than between 1938-39, that is 20 per cent. above the peak war year

1Q43-44. • (2) Home farmers to have first place in the expansion plans with second place reserved for the Empire producer. In the programme of expansion outlines, increased livestock production is linked to the.full use of all land, grass or plough. (3) Guaranteed prices and markets to farmers for all the food thev can produce within an overall target, including wool and oats. (4) Higher standards of production to be encouraged by the fixing of the range of prices according i to quality, within a guaranteed.

price. (5) The Ministry of Food to cease trading in foodstuffs and many of its other powers to go. (6) Consumers to be protected by a tribunal with powers not less than those of the existing Committee' of Investigation and by the responsibility of the Minister to Parliament. The policy is to make producers cooperation, both through voluntary bodies and through statutory marketing boards, the basis of good marketing. (7) -p l -- WO T>c r .- — a wage differential for specially skilled men, incentives to keep pace with these claimed for urban industry, priority and' subsidv -nd for housing, and grants and loans for reconditioning farm w-kers' boos—. Thu<= the nrviov of moent'vo i- applied to f nrmw worker alike.

Other points are: the safeguarding of home horticulturists from the dumping of foreign surpluses, by sliding tariffs adjusted seasonally or otherwise, careful examination of highly productive land before its diversion to other purposes, and priority in ranking of capital expenditure on agriculture, equal to .that of the fuel and power, steel, and transport industries. Great standardisation rf farm machinery components is also advocated. Rurai Education

Of particular interest to farmers and workers generally is the educational policy embracing more village schools, instruction in elementary rural science in all primary and secondary schools, more farm institutes and demonstration farms, and reallocation of courses between universities, agricultural colleges and farm institutes. In much of this one can see the hand of Mr Pt. A. Butler who for the past three years has spent much time at work in the Conservative research offices in London. Now that the Charter is out, Mr Butler may be seen taking a bigger part in public affairs.