Dairy Produce Quota

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 185, 3 May 1933, Page 11

Dairy Produce Quota

Sir, —The Farmers’ Union and the Dairy Board apparently have decided against any reduction in our dairy produce ex-ports. No doubt they have given the matter every consideration, but there are a good many who will disagree with their conclusions.

Hard-earned experience should by this time have taught us some of the things to avoid. Take the experience of the wheat grower in America as an example. For six years outside money has been poured into this industry—millions of it. Everything that the experts, have devised has been done, and what is the nett result? All the money has been swallowed up and last year’s wheat crop was sold at prices lower than ever before. I should think that anyone who has studied this wheat industry would have come to I his conclusion: Produce less wheat. 'The very fact that so much money has been available to bolster up the industry has keyed up the farmer to go on producing more wheat than the market can possibly absorb. The wheat grower simply produced too much wheat and is continuing to do so, and if. the New Zealand dairyman persists in piling increased supplies ou to au already overloaded market he will be in just the same position as the wheat farmers. , 'J’he talk about new markets, bonuses, customs bargaining, war debt revision drought, ami more purchasing power— I what does it amount to? Will any of lhesc raise the price of butter and cheese by 10/- a cwt. in the immediate future? I would suggest that 6 per cent, of the present season’s unsold produce be held over until next year, and that for next season the dairyman should submit to au ordered pro rata reduction of 12 per cent, iu production. The industry is a highly organised one. and it should be possible to do this. The dairyman is giving away more than a third of what he produces, and the question is, should he do so or should he reduce supplies?—l am, etc.. I). HAWKEN. Wavcrlcy, Muy 1.