DAIRY FARMER PETITION

Evening Star, Issue 22802, 10 November 1937, Page 4

DAIRY FARMER PETITION

INCREASE IN GUARANTEE [From Our Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, November 9. The current guaranteed price for dairy produce is called into question in a printed petition which Mr Holyonko (Motueka) presented to the House of Representatives, evidently _ the forerunner of many others. It is signed by two suppliers to a dairy factory, and sets out fully tho conditions under which the guaranteed prices were fixed. The petitioners declare that since fixation there have been considerable increases iu the costs of production; and there are indications of further vises. The present price, they state, does not make sufficient allowance for these increases to give the farmer a sufficient not return to encourage him to remain in the industry. The House is reminded of the recent Arbitration awards of wages ranging from 2s 9d an hour for skilled workers to 2s 4d an hour for unskilled, all based on tho 40-hour week. It is contended that the general standard of living of dairy farmers, based on the not return from the fixed prices, will bo considerably lower than the standard of living of skil’ed and unskilled workers, and that it cannot be denied that the dairy farmer is entitled to be classed as a skilled worker, while his average weekly hours are from 60 to 70. The request of the petitioners is that the prices fixed for the current season he increased so as to afford a reasonable net return to the producers for the labour of themselves and their families, together with sonic return for the capital invested by them in the industry ; and to enable tho producers

to maintain themselves and their families in a reasonable standard of comfort.” The petition ivas referred to the Agricultural ;yid Pastoral Committee,;