DAIRY FARMERS' PLIGHT

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21329, 23 November 1934, Page 21

DAIRY FARMERS' PLIGHT

OPPOSITION LEADER'S ADDRESS ACKK I I.IT KK ACT CRITICISED ii-k.j- ...aJHunim iti.tua.'.M.i TAURANGA, November 22. in an address here last night to an audience which filled the Town Hall to capacity, the leader of ( the Opposition i Mi- M. J. Savage) made an exhaustive survey of the position of the dairy farmer in the light of the Dairy Industry Commission's report and recent legislation. Mr Savage, who spoke for nearly two hours, was frequently applauded, and concluded his address with the following summary of Labour's indictment against the Government and Labour's proposed remedy for the position. i'l i Recent legislation following on the Dairy Industry Commission's report contains the chief elements of autocratic government iu industry. 1 2> Section 7 of the Agriculture (Emergency Powers) Act empowers the Governor-General-in-Council to transfer to the Executive Commission of Agriculture provided for in section 2 of the act any powers, conferred by statute or otherwise, on any of the' following bodies, namely, the New Zealancl Meat. Producers' Board, the Dairy Control Board, the Fruit Export Control Board, any local control board the establishment of which is provided for under the Fruit Control Act, 1924, the Money Control Board, and the Poultry Board. Powers are to be transferred after consultation with the bodies concerned. <2i Autocratic government in industry as a whole must inevitably be followed by similar methods in the Parliament of the Dominion. d) The immediate need of the primary industries, with particular reference to the dairy industry, is a readjustment of mortgage liabilities and a guaranteed price for produce wh'ich can be maintained by the productivity of the whole of the industries and the services of the Dominion. (5> While farmers are subject to rapidly changing external conditions and prices due to exploitation of cheap labour and market rigging there can be no security for them, or any other section of the community. (G) The main problem to be solved is the money problem and the proposed National Mortgage Corporation, while giving temporary relief to some, will not in any way affect the cause of the present difficulty. It can onlv deal in money made available to it from other sources and will have no powers of issue. (7) The solution of the money problem can be brought about by establishing a national banking system with absolute power to issue and control money in keeping with the requirements of production and distribution. A vole of thanks to Mr Savage con-i-luded the meeting.