THE PRICE OF BUTTER.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20428, 24 December 1931, Page 14

THE PRICE OF BUTTER.

TO THS tDITOS or TH» PSISJ. Sir, —P. T. Barnum, recounting the incidents of his quarrel with a prominent New Yorker, declared that the boots were not made that could kick. his opponent up to fighting pitch. 1 am reminded of that expression by the letter of "Vates" in your issue of yesterday, and the butter news 111 that of to-day. If these are ignored, the facts are not found that can force our Government to strike a blow in defence of our main industry. A taan asked me seriously if i thought Wellington wished to see New Zealand deeper in the mire> than it already is. That, certainly, is absurd. But if the thinkers among the unemployed are beginning; to ask such questions, Ministers have nobody to blame but themselves. Since June last they have been warned of our danger, and implored to try to avert it. Britain is not a foreign country whose course of action it would be impertinent to try to influence. She is our beloved Mother Country, who will listen to any request we make of her. Her action in 1922-1925, in violently depleting her currency, has brought us to the brink of ruin. She knows it, and would like to undo the evil. She complains bitterly of Russia's steady efforts to destroy the British Empire, and must sympathise with us _ when we complain that Russia's dumping or butter is doing unnecessary harm to our dairy-farmers. Why should not our Government state its case by cable to Sir Thomas Wilford, ana request him to place it before the proper members of England's new Your correspondent this morning reports the arrival in the' Thames of the largest-shipment of butter the Soviet had vet sent. Mr Davis, the representative of our butter interest in London, says the butter is needed in Russia and unwanted in Britain, but Russia's need of money makes her starve her ■ people to sell their rightful sustenance for cnsh. This position is exactly what was foretold in your columns months ago. It must make watchincr Olvmpus smile pityingly to see our butter makers here squabbling over a ha penny or so to be made out of onr consumers,and paying no attention whatever to the events in London that run-- reduce their return this year hr threepence or fourpence per pound, if not more. ■ As to our Ministers—well. the farmers wake to faon the ruin that ; anp<ronehing thev will fit th p brand of incapacity upon pvervnnn of tbeni with cr>nsT(UGnces wh'ch h" felr hv us all for generations. —Y n '"*<? "+o.. ,AT?\ArT) MCTCETJ/AH. December 23rd. 1031. 1 TO THE EDITOR OF THE rRESS. ! Sir, —I quite agree with your correspondent, Mr C. Morgan Williams, regarding cutting out some of the butter factories in Canterbury, but surely the remedy -lies iii the dairy-farmeis hands. Another matter I would like to comment on -is the fact that although butter was not reduced in price until the last week in November, the P a J" ment to us was reduced Id per lb butterfat for the whole of November. Why oould not the factories have paid out Is for two periods and lid for the last ? —Yours, etc., COLDSTREAM COCKY. December 23rd, 1931.