IMPORTATION OF COCKSFOOT

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 37, 13 August 1923, Page 8

IMPORTATION OF COCKSFOOT

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir, —I understand a deputation of! growers of cocksfoot is to wait on the' Minister of Customs requesting that a," duty of threepence (3d) per pound should' be placed on cocksfoot imported fromDenmark and other countries, on a slid--ing scale, removable when the price; reaches elevenpence (lid) per pound, and--I would suggest seriously that it is- high time the Government stopped interfering with the.la,w ol supply and: demand. ■ There is no excuse in these times for Government by Order-in-Council. The suggested duty wiE benefit a few farmers who grow cocksfoot to the detri-; menfc of thousands of farmers who have to sow cocksfoot for pastures: The cocksfoot crop in New Zealand this year Has: probably not exceeded 15,000 sacks. At one time the quantity grown reached £0,000 sacks, and a considerable quantity was exported. What are. the causes for the decrease in the crop? No Danish seed has been, imported for years prior to 1923.' when the Banish crop was a tremendous one. and prices cxV ceedingly low. This fact is the New' Zealand grower finds that to save cocksfoot on hill country such as Akaroa.is^ expensive; and that the country on which' the cocksfoot is grown gives-a better return carrying- sheep. VVlien the NewZealand farmer decides to -.'cultivate cocksfoot like the Danes do he will get such a return per acre that the result will pay him at 6d per pound for ma-[.chine-dressed seed. The present system, is wasteful and expensive. .What the' grower wants is 1 competition. Tariff barriers enable him to go on in the oldfashioned system. The Danes "this year, dissatisfied with the very low prices received, ■ are restricting the- production;, The New Zealand growers' 'turn '•wiltcome next year; in fact, if he is able to produce the crop, the possibilities are he will have an expert outlet, but in fairness to the corsumer in this country the Government should not permit itself to be at the call of any section of the community with the object'of imposing duty on cocksfoot or any other importation without most forcible reasons Ihe present system of. Ministers clapping on- duties or removing them, placing embargoes on this,-that, and the next thing, interferes so seriously with trade that merchants do not know where tCy.are for supplies.: 'Artificial shortages are created with the result that the general. prices of commodities are kept far above their Tight level. As it affects me personally, a duty would probably enable me to secure an advanced price for my stocks of Danish cocksfoot, which are considerable', but as one who is. continually feeling- the interference of,the Government with the ordinary law of supply and demand. I must record, my. protest at such' farcical interference by the present Government with legitimate trade.—l am, etc:, ■ w „,.„' MERCHANT. ■11th August. ; .': ■ '