PRIMARY PRODUCE

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 June 1942, Page 2

PRIMARY PRODUCE

INCREASE PROPOSAL OPPOSED INVERCARGILL, June 18. The opinion that no requests should be made by the New Zealand Government to the British Government for increased prices for primary products at the present time was expressed by the chairman of the South Island Dairy Association (Mr. H. H. Meredith) at the annual conference to-day. “A matter which gives food for thought is the increase of 15 per cent, in the price of wool, which, it was recently announced, had been granted by the British Government,” he said. “I am a sheepowner myself, but I cannot say I feel very happy about it. I experienced a similar reaction when the Government received an increase in the price of cheese last year. It appears to me that in the present circumstances, when Britain is engaged in a life or death struggle, and the whole of her physical and financial resources are being taxed to the utmost limits, it is not a friendly act for the people of this Dominion who are so closely related to her, to demand their ‘pound of flesh.’ ” “It has been reported, I know, that it was on the representations of Australia that the increase was granted, but that does not relieve my conscience in the matter. So far as I know, this Dominion is not bound to follow Australia’s lead. It would have been a line gesture of goodwill towards our kinsfolk had the offer been declined.” “GUARANTEED PRICE” “It seems to me that the Government has no intention of adhering to the principles laid down in the Primary Products Marketing Act, under which it took possession of our export products,” said Mr. Meredith. “The guaranteed price came into being with the ostensible object of protecting the dairy producer against slumps on overseas markets and paying him a price, based on his production costs, which would provide him with a standard of living commensurate with that of other sections of the community rendering equal service. In other words, export values would have no influence on price. All the evidence goes to show that the price the producer receives is regulated to a very large extent, if not entirely, by the export value of his product, and that his costs receive very little consideration, if any, compared with other sections of the people, the value of whose services, I venture to say, is on a lower scale. The dairy produe has had a raw deal. He has been made the medium of an experiment in State socialisation which has proved greatly to his disadvantage.”

WOOL PRICE NEW PLYMOUTH, June 18. A protest against the Government’s proposal to retain part of the increase in the wool prices granted by Britain to New Zealand producers to cover increased costs of production, was made at a meeting of sheep-farmers at Hawera to-day. The meeting, by resolution, flatly rejected a suggestion that receipt of the increase was inflationary, and expressed resentment against “the threat to adopt a policy of reprisal against meat producers not agreeing to the retention of part of the 15 per cent.” The meeting decided also to refuse flatly to subsidise woollen mills, the resolution suggesting that if on inquiry into the position the mills were found to require assistance, some other means should be found.