CONTROL OF LINEN FLAX INDUSTRY

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 24022, 10 August 1943, Page 3

CONTROL OF LINEN FLAX INDUSTRY

———♦— — WAIMATE FARMERS SEEK DECENTRALISATION A resolution expressing the need, for closer local contact on the part of the Linen Flax Division of the Department of Industries and Commerce, and the view that the present centralised system of control of the industry left insufficient power in the hands,of local advisory committees, was carried at a meeting of the Waimate Farmers’ Union, following complaints made by Mr J. W. Armstrong that no notice had been taken of representations of the district committee. Mr Armstrong said that a plan of the order in which growers’ flax was to be carted to the Makikihi linen flax factory had been approved by the factory manager, but instructions from Christchurch had resulted in the plan being upset. The contracts for the growing of areas of flax were never seen by the growers until they were presented for signature, and recommendations made by the growers’ committee had been ignored when drawing up the contracts. “The union will have to take some action if it is desired to keep the advisory committee alive." said Mr Armstrong. He added that members of last year’s committee had refused re-election, and only two farmers had attended when a meeting of growers was summoned. The local officers of the department were quite all right to work with, he said. Egg Production Disparity in the price paid to egg producers in the marketing area of Timaru and in the country districts outside that area was discussed. A member stated that a district storekeeper could give only Is 7d for eggs at the time the egg floor at Timaru was paying 2s a dozen. It was decided to seek information from the South Canterbury provincial secretary of the union (Mr A. B. Struthers) as to the price which should be paid for eggs under the present marketing regula tions. The meeting decided to receive a remit from the Temuka branch, sent forward by the South Canterbury executive for consideration, which proposed that all land sales should be complete financial transactions. It was explained that the remit aimed to reduce the possibility of inflation of land values by preventing vendors from leaving part or all of the unpaid purchase price on mortgage, when the difficulty of obtaining finance from lending institutions except on a sound basis, would tend to prevent the sale of land at unreasonably high figures.