ECONOMIST DISCUSSES GUARANTEED PRICES

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27683, 13 June 1955, Page 12

ECONOMIST DISCUSSES GUARANTEED PRICES

"rhe Press” Special Service

PALMERSTON" NORTH. June 12. | “The time for guaranteed prices is iver for New Zealand farmers. Now .s the right time for farmers to return to the independent spirit of their forbears,” said Mr Colin Clark, director of the Institute for Research into Agricultural Economics at Oxford Uni-j versit}, in an interview. Mr Clark said that once when the farmer could ask his price for his: produce and get it. he was in a proud position, but not now. To live on a guaranteed price the farmer must get his guarantee from somebody. He must place himself in a position of! dependence on someone else. “He is asking that his future be determined by his fellow-citizens in a: country in which he is in a minority,”: said Mr Clark. “Sooner or later he may reach a stage where his fellows! may resent having to pay for his privi-j leged position.’* Mr Clark urged the farmer to re-' turn io the independence reigning be-

I fore the guaranteed price was intro--3 duccd. He said that the farmer would be in a better position if he undertook r -;his own marketing again and did not 1 { expect a State-guaranteed price. - “Many New Zealand farmers feel f they haven't a chance in world mar* -•kets on their own because there are -jtoo many powerful organisations in I the field.” said Mr Clark. “If New -(Zealand employs the right type of man ? i to do its marketing it should be able i 1 to play off one organisation against i the other.” t; Mr Clark said he foresaw a good u future ahead for New Zealand’s f| primary production. World population I had she -n an unexpected trend and J‘was increasing rapidly. Nearly all i! other competitive food-producing coun- ’ i tries were losing their labour force, JI the United States at the “appalling” si rate of 5 per cent, a year, but New -j Zealand's loss was not so rapid. If it i could keep up its labour force the Do- - minion would have no worries in the -1 world food market.