General Election MR SKINNER AT SUMNER

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28436, 16 November 1957, Page 14

General Election MR SKINNER AT SUMNER

Free Marketing Criticised

Thousands of tons, of Ne*w Zealand butter were being used in I Britain to manufacture margarine 'because of the National Government’s policy of selling on a free market, the Deputy-Leader of the Labour Party ‘Mr C. F. Skinner) told 120 persons at an election meeting in Sumner last evening. Mr Skinner said that New Zealand butter was also being mixed with other foreign butters and "being used to improve "spread-, lability” of similar types of food j “And we have got no control over that because of the sort of trade the Government believes in —the free marketing through

merchants instefld of inter-Gov-crnmental contracts. The Government does not believe in marketing in any other way,’’ he said The ironic thing about the situation was that the Government had sent a delegation, a contingent. to Britain, to ask the Government there to interfere in the /marketing of New Zealand pro--1 duce. to ask them to Keep other /competitors’ produce off the marj ket "Yet this Government has said they do not believe in that sort of thing. Mr Holyoake must be ■ talking with his tongue in his cheek.” Mr Skinner said. The argument the Government 1 had used to get rid of bulk pur- ‘ chase was that farmers would get the benefit of 400 s per hundredI weight for butter that was bring- ' ing 351 s at the contract price at ' that time. This was not being done ■! The effect of the Government’s '(latest request to Britain would ibc to increase the price of buti ter to the British worker. ’ "Can you imagine a New ZeaI I land Government agreeing to 'workers paying more for butter ' under that condition?" he asked. Production Costs • I Production costs should be re- ■ duced for farmers to get a bet•jtcr return, but when cost reduc- • Ition was mentioned the National I Government thought only of [i wages reduction. Mr Skinner said ! “Other things increase costs be- . sides wages, such as interest ‘‘rates.” he said •j "The mortgage rate in 1935 was ;6 per cent.; in 1949 it was down 1 to 3.99 per cent.; we will do it again." he said. Over a period of years. Labour would reduce land costs. Mr Skinner said. The price of land was going up. not by the purchases by genuine farmers, but by thf= deals of people who competed tn buy land with farmers. The La hour Party did not believe unrealistic prices for land should be the basis for values. I "‘Values should be based on production capacity of land averaging the prices of its various types of produce over th*; previous 10 years." he said. Land Speculators The important thing was to keen /the speculators out of the mar- . ket. They should never have i been allowed to get in at all. Bui ’jin spite of National’s own legislation. speculators were buying jfarms in great numbers and lane j aggregation was still going on i! "They are the ones keeping thf tjprices high.” said Mr Skinner :!"We can take the dealers out o; ’ it. We do not intend to reintro--.duce the Land Sales Act. or legis- „ lation of that kind, but it will b< done.” Mr Skinner said it was not righi : that young couples should both ’nave to work to pay off a home 5 Labour would provide unlimitec 2 finance according to individua 1 needs and financial standing. In f terest would be at 3 per cent /and repayments would b: ■stretched to the limit so the' ‘ would come out of one pa\ ; packet, not two. / Much social legislation had beer .•brought in by Labour, and *hf National Party had improved . ; rather than extended it. Mr Skin ner said "Just because they thinl " the same, that does not mean there ;is any resemblance between the parties. Many seem to thinlthere is no difference, but I woulc 2: i a*her trust the authors of legis tjlation than those who have beer t compelled to adopt it.”