DECLINE IN PRIMARY PRODUCTION

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22768, 21 July 1939, Page 12

DECLINE IN PRIMARY PRODUCTION

“ADDED COSTS KILLING THE FARMING INDUSTRY” fFroirl Our Parliamentary Reporter.! WELLINGTON,' July 20. Examples of the decline in primary production in New Zealand were given by Mr E. B. Gordon (Opposition, Rangitikei) during the Address-m-Reply debate in the House of Representatives. Escorts, he said, were dowr by 12.5 per cent last year. The farming industry was being killed by added costs, for which the Government -was alone to blame. . , Discussing the guaranteed price for dairy produce, Mr Gordon said that the marketing s.cheme. ..had proved thoroughly successful; .■so far as he knew. , Even if the present Government had not come into office, there would have been a similar marketing scheme. The great dispute between the dairy farmers and the Government was that the latter had:'broken its contract. Final .control of -the industry should .be taken out-of the hands of Ministers, and .farmers should be giyeh the right-to*: take their case to tke'eourt of Appeal for Justice. The Minister- for - Marketing should not have the right tp set aside his own agreement with thg industry whenever It suited him. The dairy’farmer had been asked to accept for the coming season the same price as -last season, even though that price- was 3d per lb 'below the- price recommended, by the advisory’ committee.' THe/Government was prepared to stabilise the farmer’s income, but not bis costs* ,