CONDITIONS AT HOME.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 2 July 1921, Page 2

CONDITIONS AT HOME.

A HAWFJtA MAN'S VIEWS. "

In the course of a letter to a Hawera friend, Mr. T. V A. Winks, of Hawera, who is now in London, says:— , "The tendency in this country is to form huge combines and the only antidote is for the producers to co-operate and stand together, and then they will have a chance to'get a fair market value for their goods. A\ the present time the market-conditions are rotten, owing to the purchasing power of the masses having decreased." and consequently the produce is fv'ling uo here. Butter prices are. declinmjr every day, and cheese at present is 'holding 'up fairly well on account of the coal strike now on. People" are buying cheese freely "on account of that commodity no cooking-, but when things become nprmal again I am much afraid we will have to face a big drop. Meat is very plentiful, and the Smithfield merchants afiticmate a further decline in the low prices now % ruling. Argentine can beat'us out c*f sight in beef, but we can more than hold our own in mutton and lamb, and any brands of New Zealand lamb and light-weight wethers are eagerly sought after by i the importers. Wool its anyhow The only buyers are the speculators, as the works are full of manufactured goods and no outlets are available. ''While agreeing that the principle is right in making Germany my a heavy indemnity, it is no good for the producer of raw material. The Germans were big buyers of our wool and rough meat, and it is obvious if we take their money they cannot nay us Since eavmg New Zealand I have seen many lands, but have struck nothing that can compare with it for climatic conditions and fertility of soil. The intense farming of Denmark and Holland is an object lesson to us. Every corner is well worked and the attention pa-d to srfcock is something for us to aspire to -the people on the continent "are all working at top speed wherever you go, and it fills one with despair to come back to England and find" them bickering and wrangling over wages that it is quite obvious Ihe various industries

cannot stand. -• If England is goine'\tb survive this coming struggle ft will have to alter in many ways. We are having the springtime now and it is just beautiful. The trees and flowers are a great; sight*"