FARMERS “DO NOT NEED MR F. P. WALSH"

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 September 1949, Page 6

FARMERS “DO NOT NEED MR F. P. WALSH"

AUCKLAND, This Day (P.A.).—“We neither want nor need Mr F. P. Walsh to name the production targets for us, but we do want more than promises in providing tha housr Ing, labour and materials necessary for the continued expansion of pro-, duction.” Mr W. E. Hale, chairman of the Auckland Farmers’ Freezing Co., Ltd, said this today, replying to Mr F. P. Walsh, chairman of the Aid for Britain National Council. “In his statement, Mr. Walsh associated my name with the- production target of 25 per cent, increase in the next five years,” Mr Hale stated. “I have never, on behalf of the farming industry, named any production target. Neither has the board nor my-, self been consulted in the naming of a specific target. “Mr Walsh is the only person from whom we have heard of ah undertaking to increase production by 25 per cent, and who has actually named an additional 400,000 cows, 5,000,000 more breeding ewes, 200,000 more beef calves and the equivalent of 4,000,000 additional acres of first class feeding pasture needed by 1954. “Will he tell us who worked out this target and why the- boards were not consulted, and will he tell us what are the Government’s proposals for an additional 29,000 farm workers and the provision of 25,000 new rural houses needed, in Mr, Walsh s opinio,n to implement his target? “Three years ago Mr Nash promised the Dairy Board that State houses would be built adjacent to dairy factories for the industry s workers. Not a single State house has been erected. “Let me remind Mr Walsh that, without naming any production target, the dairy industry throughout the war years has gone right out for maximum production, despite all the handicaps.” _ Mr Walsh’s Statement WELLINGTON, September 22 (P.A.) —A promise of increased production was made not by him this year but by New Zealand farmers representatives more than 12 months ago, said the chairman of the Aid for- Britain National Council, Mr F. P. ing the Dominion council of Federated Fanners. Mr Walsh said he wished. to make it quite clear who had made commitments for greater production so that he could- not be- accused of having usurped the authority of others. Mr. Walsh read a letter which he, sent to Mr J. W. Earl, past president of the North Canterbury Federated Farmers, on a report which appeared in a Christchurch newspaper. Misreporting Alleged “From the wording of the. report it would sefem that you personally enti-.. cised me for promising in London a 25 ner cent, increase in our. production m the next five years,' This is obviously the case of a cub reporter misreporting vour remarks, since a farmer in youi position as immediate past president ot a provincial executive of the federation would not have fallen into this error,” said the letter. “For some obscure reason the leaders of the dairy industry, including Mr W. E. Hale, conveniently ignoring the quid pro. auo of increased production given by their own representatives, when negotiating a long-term agree-, ment last year, have tried to pass responsibility to me. . , ' “The Minister of Agriculture, announced these agreements ifi 1948, remarking on the meat agreemnt that ‘a commitment has been made, and: referring to an increase of 50,00.0 tons a year as ‘a target' to be reached not later than 1955.’ ” . . 'Mr Walsh lhen quoted at length newspaper reports of references made last year by representatives of me fanning industry to the agreement. “Bv 1955 y°u will agree we should have done with butter rationing' in New Zealand, but this will mean that we must increase our dairy production by more than 20 per cent, if our exports are to be 20 per cent, above those of last season. Again, our own population by 1955 will be considerably greater than in 1947-48, and some account must be taken of this fact when estimating the increased production of both- dairy, products and meat necessary to enable use to keep our export commitments with Britain. 25 Per Cent. Increase “It will probably be necessary to obtain something like an overall increase of 25 per cent, in our food production by 1955 if we are to keep faith,” Mr Walsh continued. “I have taken two years off the agreed seven years, first because more than a whole year has slipped by since Messrs Marshall, Candy and Grigg negotiated their seven-year agreement, and second, because flocks and herds will have to be in existence by 1954 to get the desired increases in the 1954-55. season. We have, therefore, only five years left to get these increases. “Just why Mr Hale and others-should now be trying, to unload responsibility for these commitments to me is difficult to sap. Perhaps Mr Hale now thinks we cannot get the increases he snoke of 12 months ago. Frankly. I don’t see why certain dairy. industry leaders are getting cold feet. I can’t believe that their representatives spoke with their tongues in the cheeks last year when they offered increased production in exchange' for a long-term Mr Walsh said that with full, friendly co-operation New Zealand could get increased production and the British people' their food.

When the above message was referred to Mr J. W. Earl in Christchurch last evening he said that he had not been mis-ieported;