MARKETING CONTROL

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 108, 3 November 1939, Page 9

MARKETING CONTROL

FOR HOW LONG?

EXTENSION AFTER WAR

PARLIAMENT TO

DECIDE

MR. NASH'S REPLY TO

FARMERS

Parliament is to decide whether the marketing legislation passed last session to meet war conditions will continue after the war. This point was emphasised'by the Minister of Finance and Marketing (the Hon. W. Nash) last evening in reply to a deputation from the New Zealand Farmers' Union, which expressed the ' fear that the level of primary production might not be maintained, and that the war was being used as an excuse for the introduction of permanent State control of industry. Present with Mr. Nash during the discussion were the Minister of Labour (the Hon. P. C. Webb), the Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. W. L. Martin), and the Minister of Lands (the Hon. F. Langstone). The deputation, which consisted of the executive of the Farmers' Union and provincial presidents was headed by the Dominion president, Mr. W. W. Mulholland. Mr. .Mulholland said that the.cause of the fear regarding the maintenance Of production, which had been responsible for the farmers' meetings which had been held recently all over New Zealand, arose from certain things which had taken place during the last few months in the Dominion. "The movement to hold these meetings had been spontaneous. Some of the factors that were operating to unsettle the farmer were the fear that the war was being used as an excuse to introduce permanent • State control of industry; the inadequacy of the guaranteed price for dairy produce; the impossibility of procuring adequate suitable farm labour; and the recent amendment to the Marketing Act taking away the safeguard of the price formula. Mr. Mulholland said they were not there to protest against the Government having far-reaching powers in the crisis, but it was felt that the fact that the Governriient had those powers made it desirable that the Government should say very frankly that it did not intend- to make any use of them -except for the purpose of dealing with the present emergency. GUARANTEED PRICE. - The inadequacy of the guaranteed price/ he said, had been a considerable factor in the meetings which had been held. The Farmers' Union supported the representations of the Dairy Industr^ Council completely. It also felt that it was perhaps particularly unfortunate that the announcement of the continuation of the same guaranteed price should . have appeared side, by: side with the announcement that Public Works workers were to have an increase in their wages^-fTh'# farmers felt- >that 'they were, ffeing treated in a different way from" the rest of the community. On -the farm labour question, Mr. Mulholland &aid the union had had'reports ..of applications for men suitable for farm, work which the local placement" officers had had to admit they could ridt. fill. :.'.,'".. Mr, Webb: "Of . experienced farm workers? . •;... Mr. Mulholland: Reasoriably experienced. - . The of other industries, Mr. Mulholland added, and in particular of Public Works, which were able to offer more money and shorter , hours, was ohe of the chief difficulties , in regard to obtaining farm labour. "It is our earnest desire to assist . the Empire in this, crisis by expand-. : ing production to the utmost limit of our ability, but we feel it our duty. in the interests both of the farmer and the Government, to draw attention to the difficulty that may arise if the British Government, after we have devebloped our production, restricts our exports to the United Kingdom," Mr. Mulholland said. "We urge also that adequate steps be taken at the conclusion of the war for the disposal of surpluses which have accumulated during that period. We desire to assure the Government that if it is necessary, in view of the war situation, for the community to .make sacrifices, farmers are prepared at all times to accept their full share." FARM LABOUR. The Minister of Labour referred to the question of. farm work. He said that at the moment there were 240 • vacancies for experienced farm labour in tho North Island which the Department did not have men to fill, and in the South Island there was a surplus of 65 men. He agreed that the problem was one that was not easy to grapple with. The Minister said that last year more than _ 600 farmers had availed themselves of the subsidy of £ 1 a week to keep labour on. Young men wanted some permanency in their employment. The demand was for young labour, and the great bulk of it under 21 years of age. Mr. Webb said he.would like to get a list of all those farm workers who were said to have gone on to Public Works, If a farm worker was employed on Public Works it was because there was no farm work available for him. The Department had transferred from scheme 13 and Public Works more than 3500 men to farm clearing and drainage under the 4B scheme, and the Government was paying 75 per cent, of the cost. The farmers seemed to be satisfied and the workers had not coriipiained. He would want 2200 more men to go on to farms under that scheme. So far as the employment of boys on farms was concerned, the accommodation .and food ir. some instances were not what they ought to be. He thought it was up to tue Farmers' Union to help the Government in that. The Minister of Agriculture said he was certain that in some of the districts there was a. much better feeling than had been indicated by some of Mr. Mulholland's remarks. "Mr. Mul-j holland knows that on every occasion I have sought his advice and endeavoured to .work out with him the problems which have faced us," Mr. Martin said. "It seems to me that if we could get more co-operation we would get along infinitely better than we are doing today. It does hurt me ,to read s,ome of the statements that are being made, particularly in the north, with regard to what the Government and the Department are doing in connection with farm problems. I know the difficulties and I want to help to overcome them." BjIR. NASH'S REPLY. The Minister of Finance said that Mr. Mulholland had given no examples]

of how the wiar was being used as an excuse for the introduction of permanent State control of industry. Mr. Mulholland: I purposely did not. Mr. Nash: I would have liked them. Mr. MulhollanJ; The . feeling is rather general than specific. Mr. Nash: . I would like to get it,1 because I do not know where it is. Mr. Mulholland: One point is whether the "stock and station firms will handle the farmers' produce from the gate. . | Mr. Nash said it had not been suggested that they would not. They; wanted l-16d more for handling wool. Mr. Mulholland said that in regard to the transport position, there were the restrictions ori commercial transport and on petrol. Mr. Nash: I do know it is still imperative, inside the war period, to conserve every gallon of petrol. I am just a bit diffident as to whether we should have lifted the restrictions on petrol to the extent that we have. On the question of the Marketing Act, the Minister said it had been suggested that it should apply for the war period and for two years after. . The answer he had given was that the Government would bring the question to the House and the House should decide whether it should continue. It was impossible now to determine the time within which it would be wise to relax control. Mr. Mulholland: Can you give us/an assurance that when the marketing position comes back to normal, the restrictions will be lifted? Mr. Nash: I have said we will bring it into the House. In addition, the United Kingdom is a party to it. Mr. Mulholland: Where is the objection to stating that when the period arrives when things are reasonably normal the restrictions will be lifted? Mr. Nash: I have said I will bring it before the House and let the House decide whether it ought to go on.or not. The Minister of Labour: The farmers may want it to go on. ■Mr. Mulholland: I grant you the farmers may. But war emergency measures should be limited to the period of the War and the period of adjustment. Mr. Mulholland said the farmers felt they needed a little more than an indication that the question would be brought before the House. QUESTION FOR PARLIAMENT. Mr. Nash: I cannot say any more than that we will let Parliament decide. Parliament does, anyway. Mr. Mulholland:. The thing that matters to us is what you, if you are in your present position, will recommend. Mr. Nash: I cannot tell.you, other than that I will bring it before Parliament. Mr. Mulholland: You can understand that that does not clear the doubt in the farmer's mind. Coming to the question of the guaranteed price, Mr. Nash said he had been trying to get a price from the United Kingdom to pay what the Government was paying. There had been a lot of cruel and vicious misunderstanding caused, and misrepresentation of the position by the Press and others. "And we won't get a price that will cover the price that we are paying," Mr. Nash continued. "We will be paying more to the dairy farmer than we will be receiving." Mr. Nash said it was viciously unfair to say that the industry had not been consulted over the guaranteed price. Mr. Mulholland: Not from <the Dairy Council. Mr. Nash: From the meetings, rer ports of Which have appeared in the Press* The Minister emphasised that the guaranteed price formula,.still.applied* arid there'wasufcrqwestion of using the I war for permanent'control. | Discussing Public Works pay, Mr. 'Nash said it was correct to state that the pay on Public Works had been fixed in April, 1936. The dairy farmer had had two rises since then. Everybody else around the Public Works men had had two or. three rises, said Mr. Nash. In general, the men on Public Works were doing splendid work and did not get too much money.