FARM PRODUCE IN BRITAIN

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27151, 22 September 1953, Page 11

FARM PRODUCE IN BRITAIN

State Refuses Price

Increase Request (Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.)

LONDON, September 17. The British Government has rejected the request of the three unions representing Britain’s farmers for a special agricultural prices review to covfr a recent increase of 7s a week in agricultural workers’ wages. The minimum wage for farm workers is now £6 a week.

“The Government recognises the importance of the increase in labour costs, but cannot regard this in isolation,” said the Minister of Agriculture (Sir Thomas Dugdale) in a letter to the President of the National Workers’ Union (Sir James Turner). The letter said the Government had taken into account the importance of labour costs in relation to economic costs in industry. This included the way in which other factors in the cost of production had been moving. The Government said a special review was not justified on ths occasion. Discussing the Government’s attitude in a speech at Bingley, Yorkshire, Sir Thomas Dugdale said the Government had to consider the trends of all farmers’ costs, not only in wages. The wage increase has come when other production costs are falling. The Government therefore felt a special review was not called for.

“In 1951, costs were rising. Today we are succeeding in bringing many down. That is healthy for the farmers, and for us all. It means we are breaking the vicious spiral of higher wages chasing a higher cost of living.” The agricultural correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” says it has been estimated by the National Farmers’ Union that the total increased costs would amount to £12,000,000 in England and Wales, of which about £9,000,000 would derive from the review of commodities.

The Government’s decision was doubtless influenced by the fall in feeding stuff prices after their decontrol, he said.