GUARANTEED PRICE

Evening Post, Issue 71, 20 September 1941, Page 10

GUARANTEED PRICE

INCREASES IN COSTS

NOT MET

FARMERS DISAPPOINTED

The fact that. the. Government had made no provision for increased costs in .its guaranteed price was the subject of. the following motion, passed at the Dominion dairy conference yesterday:—

"That this. conference expresses, its keenest disappointment that at the time of announcing the price to be paid for the 1941-42 production of butter and cheese, no reference was made by the Minister to any' proposals in the mind of the Government to compensate the farmer for factory, farm, and home cost increases since 1938-39, and that the Dairy Industry Council be urged to continue to press for' a price in keeping with the spirit of the Act." ■.

In moving the remit, Mr. F. W. Seifert* .CMorrinsville) said that the Government' had now about £1,000,000 in hand as the result of increased cheese sales,'but this Amount would be required to meet the cost of switching over from butter to cheese., Other sections of the community had been granted a 5 per cent.b bonus to meet the added cost, of living but the farmers had had to carry on for four years with no assistance to meet the increased costs. "We cannot. ask the British public to pay more for our produce 'at present," continued Mr. Seifert; "that would be unthinkable, and I don't see how we are going to meet the situation:"