Views expressed on wool marketing

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33093, 7 December 1972, Page 21

Views expressed on wool marketing

If a referendum was a reasonable move on the Wool Marketing Corporation Bill, then the Government should perhaps put every major issue to the people in the form of a referendum, said Mr B. H. Palmer, chairman of the meat and wool section executive of North Canterbury Federated Farmers, at the monthly meeting of the section yesterday.

Federated Farmers, said Mr Palmer, had taken the stand that a referendum was not the best method of ascertaining grower opinion; but the organisation had undertaken to co-operate with a properly prepared and conducted referendum. “It is my opinion, however, that the principle of the meat and wool council and the electoral college of the Meat and Wool Boards making major decisions on behalf of growers is efficient democracy,” said Mr Palmer. He suggested that to satisfy both growers and the new Government the following procedure could be| adopted in the coming months:— (1) The corporation continue! the development of its staff, procedures, and techniques required by a vigorous marketing or- j ganisation for the first eight months of next year. (2) The candidates for both the meat and wool council and the Wool Board’s; electoral college declare their position concerning! the acquisition clauses of the bill, and this stand should be a major fea-i ture in the coming elec-j tions (June for the coun-

cil and July for the college). (3) If in August both bodies had re-affirmed their stand of 1972 the Government would be justified in amending the act only to its original form immediately so that the corporation could operate with its full powers in the 1973-74 season Mr Palmer said that the Labour Party manifesto included the establishment of a wool corporation with full powers to acquire and market the nation’s clip, but it had made it clear that before proceeding with amendments to J the act it would first consult ithe Wool Board. I “This is a prudent course |to adopt and must have the approval of a majority of j growers,” said Mr Palmer. The meeting passed a reimit put by the Motukarara i branch that the section inform the Minister of Agriculture (Mr Carter) that the large majority of informed wool growers in North Canterbury who had confidence in the leaders in both the ! electoral college and Federj ated Farmers were comipletely disillusioned with the I Government’s handling of the | Wool Marketing Corporation Bill.