Farming Prices “Must Be Held”

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31974, 29 April 1969, Page 22

Farming Prices “Must Be Held”

(New Zealand Ptpss Association) WELLINGTON, April 27. It was essential that the farmer be paid his costs of production and that these costs be held and gradually lowered, the leader of ! the Social Credit Political League (Mr V. F. Cracknell) said at the week-end.

Mr Cracknell, the member | of Parliament for Hobson, I was speaking at a meeting ' of the Dominion council of i the league in Wellington. After discussion on the I problems of primary produc- : ers and Mr Cracknell's add- i ress. the council called for a ' special meeting of its policy < committee with key candid- 1 ales to iron out details of the .league's farming policy before the annual conference on May 17. “It is essential that the farmer be paid his costs of products and that these costs he held and gradually lowered." Mr Cracknell said. "What we pay to the far- , mer here is controlled entire- ■ ly within our own shores, and , must not be subject to the j fluctuations inherent in sales , on an open overseas market ; already saturated with dumped produce. ( "What that produce earns j overseas merely gives us the i right to import. i “We must determine a pol- ' icy which is acceptable to ■ town and country alike. It t ] must give every reasonably ' efficient farmer a standard . iof living which allows a fair; return on his investment and ’ (compares with the standard of the rest of the commun- , ity," he said. ) “The industries concerned < should he free to negotiate . iwith the Government on this .

price, and they should be I assured that the Government will in fact control internal costs. “The dairy industry entered into agreement 18 years ago on the firm understanding that the then Government would hold costs, but instead cos-ls have sky-rocketed since then.”