PRICE OF POTATOES, BUTTER, AND WHEAT

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23109, 27 August 1940, Page 10

PRICE OF POTATOES, BUTTER, AND WHEAT

TO THE EDITOR 0/ THE PRESS. Sir—l notice in the press that Mr Nash will not do anything for the potato-grower. He states that it is not right for them to get a good price last year and expect the Government to take them over this year. I would like to say that it takes all the money from the big prices to pay extra.cost of production, extra cost of living, and extra taxes. I would like to ask Mr Nash if it is right to ask the farmer to pay Is 9d in the pound on last year’s income when most persons only pay Is. Mr Nash denies that the people were asked to grow more potatoes, but most people heard it. Last night Mr Nash was talking about butter and he stated, that the farmers agreed not to ask for more for their produce. What'the farmers said was that they would not ask, for more if the cost of production was kept down and that no one else asked for more; but the workers got a 5 per cent, rise, so I think the farmers should get the same. If not. they are worse off than before. The Government is asking for more wheat, but it is not taking any precautions against an over supply. The farmer will be in the same mess as he is with his potatoes. The time to start to get ready for sowing wheat is in November... We sowed the wheat this year expecting to get a rise in the price, but we did not get it. Next year we will wait until the price of wheat is fixed,, before we get any ground ready. The farmer is getting further into debt each year and we cannot keep going on losing money. Some will say wu are unpatriotic. I should like to say I am for England every time, and would like to ask who is the. most patriotic—the man who wants to .grow food for England and cannot do so because of-high s costs or

the man who keeps the price down so you cannot do so?-Yours, |^ MER _ August 26, 1940.,