GUARANTEED PRICES

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 55, 6 March 1934, Page 9

GUARANTEED PRICES

DAIRY PRODUCE SCHEME

MR. POLSON CONCERNED

On the ground that a direct subsidy would cause resentment iv Great Britain and give the British farmers a weapon with which to allege that their interests were liablo to suffer from competition by subsidised dairy products from tho Dominions, Mr. "W. J. Poison, M.P., Dominion president of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, in a statement, mado at Stratford on Friday, said the scheme for guaranteed internal prices was a dangerous one. Mr. Poison said ho thought that at present the attitude of the British farmer had failed to satisfy a large section of the British people (reports tho "Taranaki Daily News"). It would bo unwise to justify that attitude by demanding a direct subsidy, "fflie alternative," continued Mr. Poison, "is iv my opinion to attempt to secure new markets, even at sacrifice prices. It might be possiblo to make an arrangement with Australia, with whom we already have a hold-over arrangement to dump a given percentage of our output in certain nou■[lairying countries and to subsidise the dairy farmers to the extent of the difference between these prices and London parity for that proportion of tho product that has been dumped. It may oven bo possible to adopt tho new Australian stabilisation plan and secure the local prico commensurate with the. veal value of dairy products in Great .Britain after all charges have been taken into account. It is a great pity such a conference as is now taking place did not take place earlier, but the Farmers' Union is not to blame. It hesitated long before interfering, recognising that tho Dairy Board was the constituent authority of the industry, which through its properly elected representatives should control itself. 'Tfow, however, that tho conference has been culled it must deal with the whole future of the industry :is well as immediate necessities-," said' Mr. Poison.

Ramsey Wilson and Co. will sell the contents of a house at 11 Bridge Street, Kilbknic, at 1.30 p.m. tomorrow. "~ '