FARMERS IN WAR-TIME

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 59, 3 December 1917, Page 7

FARMERS IN WAR-TIME

Sir,—lt. .will be .interesting to 'som6 and instructive to other's to he able to compare the prices for farming ; produce current at Home aboat July 31, .1917, with those prevailing here aboui . the same time. The live stock'figures »re those current at Inverness, and may . ]be regarded as average prices for prime qualities:—. '. ''Fat'bullocks, 3-yfar-old, : Inverness prifce, j£4B; Addington price, £20 to £24. .' 'Fat' wethers, -Inverness 'price, 855.; Addington price, 445. . .... Fat. lamb, Inverness .price,' 69a.; Addington'price, 255. to 30s. ■ ;• •' Milling wheat. Government price (Inverness),' 9s. per bushel; Addington price, ss. 10d. per - bushel. ' 'Table potatoes, Government price (Invenness), £6 10s. ton; Addington price, anything up to £3. . American regulated■ price., for wheat is Si dollars or 10s. per bushel..', -It. will be seen.that.the Home farmei receives .just about double the ; pric& current here for the same class of produce, while his wages and other costs of production are less than half, thoso prevailing in New Zealand. Firstclass, ploughmen receive, up to 2os v jci week, with uncooked rations, at Home, second men, 20s. I assure youj ./sir, the position now facing, the agricultural farmer is not a hajfpy oue. . Al; though his prices are strictly limited and income correspondingly curtailed, nothing appears to have been done, to limit his outgoings. Agricultural wages increased 50 per cent, last year, and as these men are fed b,v the farmer the increased cost of living has not affected them, but as -this class has been so depleted by the war, they can, and do, demand exorbitant remuneration. Harvesters, too, whose wage ,was increased from Is. to Is. 6d,'an hour and found last year, are now faking about ,2s. 6d., and all. we hear from the Efficiency Board is some ialk about boy labour, although it jvas distinctly understood when farmers were aaked ; to grow wheat that suitable labour woula be provided at reasonable rates of pay. It is useless to talk about boy .labour, <bb boys cannot handle heavy sheaves^

and I hoar on good authority that labour unions are already actively at work enforcing the conditions of the Arbitration Act in regard to boy labour, through the Labour Inspectors, although they calmly ignore the Aot themselves. It will bo a distinct breach of faith if the Government does not regulate harvest wages and other agricultural wages as woll, in the samo way as the} have curtailed the price of wheat ana all 'other farming produce. What is sauce for ; the gooso is surely sauce for the gander.—l am, etc., SOUTHERN FARMER.