WEST COAST FARMS

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 November 1943, Page 2

WEST COAST FARMS

DECLINE IN PRODUCTION

The recent declaration by the Dominion Executive of the Farmers Union that “the production of foodstuffs in New Zealand is on mdown grade,’ the reasons being partly climatic, partly material and partly psychological, finds support on the West Coast, where, according to the opinion of Mr J. Mulcare, CitfiUman of the West Coast Council of Primary Production, the outioox io very serious indeed. Invited to eiaborate on the position of the industry on' the Coast, Mr Mulcare emphasised that, in spite of the Council having requested that.a halt be called men were still being taken irom farms for the Armed Forces. It was, said Mr Mulcare, the considered opinion of the Council, which not only represented the farming industry, but also included commercial and official representatives, tnat no further men should be taken away, because they were desperately need for primary production. Their departure meant that dairy herds were being reduced to un alarining degree. This must huve u serious indirect as well as direct effect on production, because there, wpulci be a reaction on costs, making operations more expensive and eventually resulting in a smaller pay-out from dairv factories. “Factory managements are in a position of great embarrassment,” declared Mr Mulcare. The position was attributable partly to shortage of labour and shortage of finance. The fact definitely stood out that people would not —on the Coast or elsewhere —milk at the price they were receiving. Finance was no new problem; it had existed for 29 years, but the position was now becoming acute. Mamirc was dearer, and all materials we/e slightly dearef on the Coast than in other places and considerably dearer than in most-favoured places. . MILK SUPPLY POSITION

Mr Mulcare agreed that the effect on the milk supply must be serious. He predicted that in the' coming Winter the position in that respect would be more serious than ever and “quite alarming.” He pointed out that the Production Council had not accorded him any authority to condemn the system under which milk and cream were affected by the butter rationing scheme—it must ho given a fair trial—but he expressed the’view that the Council, as a semiState organisation, might reasonably have been consulted when the datum was being assembled. The Government should have called evidence from the Councils and Farmers’ Unions, even though it might have felt constrained to reject the evidence. Datum should have • been taken from the people who would be concerned. Reverting to dairy farming generally on tile Coast, Mr Mulpa.re remarked tha-t the industry had despaired of obtaining help. Circumstances here were totally different from Canterbury. Production had declined in succeeding years and Lhe decline appeared to have become more accentuated than ever.