FARMERS AND THE WAR.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 30 September 1918, Page 4

FARMERS AND THE WAR.

REMARKS AT A CANTERBURY

MEETING

BT lEUSQRAPH—PRE3J ioSOCIATIOH.

TIMARU, Sept. 28;; At the annual meeting of the Farmers' Co-operative Association, the chairman stated that the turnover for the year was £1,579,000—a recordbut, partly due to the high prices of everything, the gross profit on merchandise was £2000, the stock and merchandise being valued at £250,000. Seventy-six employees had gone to the war,, and eleven had lost their lives, while twenty had returned, of whom thirteen had been re-employed. The association pays part of tne sahwy of the absent employees, so £6000' had been paid, and £2000 was required tl is year.

The chairman, Mr John Talbot, in his address, condemned as unfair ard oppressive on mortgagor farmers the zholition of the tax on mortgages, as it was letting the real owner of the'land off free, who is often a person of jrood income and following no orductive occupation. They paid last year over £10,000 for land and income ti_x and subscribed £10,000 to war loans under the compulsory provisions, an in ore must be paid under oho latter head. The only means of payment is by increasing the charges to cu^LoJiers." consequently the tax in the long run is s_lpaid by the farmers. The; multiplication of taxeer on-the prod-ic-ng industry must increase the cost of production and the*, price of the product. Mr Talbot, in his remarks on what had been said as to the Government's treatment of last year's crop being satisfactory, /said the position regarding the next crop was quite otherwise. The, Government had guaranteed a minSmum price of 6s 4d f.0.b.,, with a free market, but menaced the chances of the growers getting the benefit of a free market by imporfihg Australian wheat, and_ the price at which this is to be sold is unknown to the farmer®, who are most willing to keep the industry going, but are dliscouraged by the unnecessary and irritating restijctions in respect to selling being added to the risks; and difficulties of production. Equalising the tariff on wheat from Australia and New Zealand, was an urgent demand. •:.: ■

A resolution was carried to increase the capital by £50,000.