MINISTERS HECKLED

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 59, 11 March 1937, Page 10

MINISTERS HECKLED

LIVELY MEETING

PUKEKOHE FARMERS

THE GUARANTEED PRICE

Interjections, mingled with laughter, applause, and a certain amount of booing, were so frequent at a meeting of farmers which was addressed by the Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. W. Lee Martin) in Pukekohe on Tuesday evening that the chairman, Mr. A. White, felt it necessary to intervene (states the "New Zealand Herald").

Mr. Lee Martin, who was accompanied by the Minister of Labour (ths Hon. H. T. Armstrong), was addressing a rally convened by the Farmers' Union and held in the Masonic Hall. Over 500 people filled the hall, and amplifers conveyed the speeches to others outside who were unable to gain admission.

The Minister's reply to a demand by 1 Mr. J. H. Furniss, on behalf of the Farmers' Union, that the price for dairy produce should compensate the [ farmers for the ccst of production, ' was punctuated by frequent interjec- | tions, which rose to chorus volume at ! times, and both the chairman, Mr. A. ' White, and Mr.- Furniss had to appeal ', for a fair hearing for him. Inter- [ ruptions particularly greeted references 1 by the Minister to the present guarani teed price as a liberal interpretation , of the Government's promise. ' MINISTER'S FORECAST. The Minister declared that for the 1 first six months of this season the ; average payment for butter-fat had : been 12.413 d per Ib, as against 11.71 d for the first six months of last season; "I'll'say this, and I'll give £5 to any , institution you like to name to back it, that the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company will pay out Id per lb more for this season's butter-fat, and I wouldn't be surprised if it is lid," Mr. Martin said, amid laughter and ■ applause. ' An expert committee was charged with tabulating dairying costs to guide the Government in fixing the guaran- ■ teed price, continued the Minister. To help them, dairy companies and dairy ; farmers were invited to send in their balance-sheets. Unfortunately the Gov- • ernment was not receiving the co- ■ operation to which it was entitled in ■ this regard. It had hoped to announce .< the guaranteed price for next season in ; May, but it was now doubtful whether . it would be known then owing to the delay in receiving the necessary details ; from the industry. The case for a higher payment for the farmers was expounded by Mr. A. C. A. Sexton, M.P., who spoke after Mr. Lee Martin. ' MR. ARMSTRONG'S REPLY. Laughter, applause, and booing, with intervening periods of attentive hearing, comprised the audience's reception of an extremely vigorous reply to ' Messrs. Furniss and Sexton by Mr. Armstrong. I "The statements of Messrs. Furniss and Sexton are bristling with inaccuracies and economic absurdities, and I am going to show the reason why," Mr. Armstrong declared. "Before we were returned to power dairy farmers throughout New Zealand told me they would be in clover if they got Is a pound for butter -" Voices: Yes, but what about the 40----hour week? ■ i The Minister said the price had been ffixed at more than Is. 1 A Voice: What about rising costs? JYou've been asleep. I The Minister: Yes, and it's a pity B'ou ever wake up. '. Mr. Armstrong said he looked upon i armers as among the hardest workers a nd the most exploited in New Zealiind. FREEZING WORKS TROUBLE. i This led to interjections about the s3:ay-in hold-up at the freezing works, slid a very lively interlude, while the ft\'inister explained his actions in settling the trouble. i "No section of the community is going to take charge of other people's property and remain in possession as ldig as I am Minister of Labour," said Mir. Armstrong. He emphasised that trie payment of higher wages enabled this workers to pay high prices for the fformers' produce. "You can't have an irq poverished working class and a pros-pai-ous farming community," he contiriued. Laughter from some of the aujlience greeted this statement. ",Is the Minister going to tell the Gei leva conference that one-third of the people of New Zealand are working a 60-li.our week to keep another'third on 40 iiours, and the other third on sustenancp?" was another question. Mr. Armstrong: The Minister is going to cio at Geneva what he does here. Heljys going to tell the truth. He will telIM them where the 40-hour week applies, and possibly-point out where it dan be applied. s LABOUR FOR FARMS. Ariother questioner asked what the Minftiter proposed to do to enable farmers to compete for labour. The Minister replied that it was his aim to ensuna that the farmer was in receipt of an\ income that would enable him to pay 'ages on a par with those in other industries. A Resolution, which was carried by an overwhelming majority, requested that Wie farmers should be paid a price I whicla would close the gap between the level Vat which they sold their produce and taie costs they had to meet; enable them jito pay attractive rates of wages; and aQlow them reasonable interest on the c;»Dital invested in their farms and stock.;

Ver^' strong exception was taken in another resolution to the remarks of Mr. '\Hr. H. Freeman, S.M., from the Bench! at Gore, that it was "all bunk" that f;] rmers could not get laboui\ The resolution characterised this as a great miscarriage of justice, unprecedented in the history of the country, and urged that trfla Farmers' Union should take the matter] up with the Minister of Justice.