FARMERS' POLITICS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 75, 16 October 1939, Page 2

FARMERS' POLITICS

SOME CONTRADICTIONS

PRODUCTION IN WAR-TIME The fanners of the Dominion do not appear to be happily served liiy those whom they nominate from time to time to act as their mouthpieces says "Thomas Didymus" writ ing in tlie N.Z. Observer. From a newspaper report of a recent shor', announcement by Mr H. E. Blyde, a Dominion Vice-President of the NeW Zealand Farmers' Union, I have been able to retrieve these ehoice excer]) ts: —- 1 . (a) It had been agreed between the fanners and the Government, that "The whole of the argument re lating to what, was just to the dairy farmer should be scrapped." (To anyone who recalls the rubbish talked on this topic, such an end was surely a consummation devoutly to be wished.) But (b) "If production is to be increased then Ave must see that justice is done." (2). (a) "Our only difficulty at present is is to sec that in the general sacrifice wc are not called upon to do more than other sections of the community." But (b) "The dairy fanner is prepared to do as much as, or more than, any other section of the community. These mutually contradictory pairs of assertions make an interesting psychological study, and it is only fair to other officials of the Farmers' Union to say that they seldom take so little trouble to rationalise their utterances. The important aspect of such statements is that they purport to represent the collective mind of the farmers. Unfortunately they are likely to be adopted as such. Post-War Crash. It will be commonly recollected that the preliminary cracks in tltc price level of the primary commodities, which heralded the slump of 1920. appeared in wheat prices. The cracks first appeared when the ten-

sion was greatest. What is not commonly understood is that the crash was basically due to the fact that during the war and early post-war years, with the Ukraine and Central Europe out of the market, the rest of the world Reared itself up to a scale of production which could not he maintained when the Ukraine and Central Europe came back. During those years Canada, Austra- ■ lia and the United States approximately doubled their production of wheat —and they could not switch over to something else in five minutes. Herein is Alberta's tragedj\ Alberta is simply an example we should never forget of a forced po- ; llcy of development, engineered by j the Canadian Government and found too late (characteristic of government enterprises) to be completely out of touch with economic reality. It is a classic case of national planning! These facts have teeth—for the New Zealand farmer. He is being j asked to gear up his exports from j s;p 100,()()() tons to 170,000 tons. That is seventy per cent. What prices is he entitled to ask for? And for how long? Two arrangements are possible: (a) That the farmer gets the whole net commandeer price and takes the risk. (b) That the Government pays the farmer substantially less than the commandeer price and takes the risk itself. The farmer has no business to stand on "the order of his going," or to be anxiously balancing nis efforts against those of ''other sections of the community." Per contra, he is entitled to know Avhat policy on such matters is going to be fol-

loAved by those making the call. National Efficiency. The declared intention of the Government to mobilise the resources of the community and institute the rule of national efficiency directs attention to the waterside. This is not merely a national sore; it has he- j come an international scandal. Last j rear it was proved to the complete j satisfaction of a judge and jury that i worker on the Auckland wharves "an earn £7 a week until at least :he age of 75 years. Unless this neans that the wharfie's job is es- >( nt ialh one for old age pensioners ,thus treeing the bulk of the memkvs for active service), it means fiat the work of Iho wharves crm >e efliciently performed by a very uuch smaller number of virile worlirs. Nowhere can speeding up be nor- effectively introduced than oh he New Zealand wharves. Will the ernmcnt tackle the question?