OPEN MARKET BEST

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 52, Issue 3277, 18 June 1943, Page 5

OPEN MARKET BEST

TOO MUCH INTERFERENCE PRODUCTION OF FAT PIGS MR SUTHERLAND’S CRITICISM “If the Minister wants more fat pigs, he should leave the market open to pay more for fat pigs, and generally he should interfere less with the market,” commented Mr A. S. Sutherland, M.P. for Hauraki; in the course of a speech delivered in the House of Representatives last week when criticising the action of the Minister of Marketing in fixing the price to be paid for pigs at from 121 to 170 lbs. weight. Mr Sutherland said:— “In regard to the pig industry I recently made a plea for more consideration to be given to that industry. I asked that the price of pig meal should be reduced and that the prices of pig meats should be raised. “The Minister of Marketing has decided on another method of endea-> vouring to assist the industry but I think that, his method will have farreaching effects on the industry in general. Price Fixed “The Minister has fixed the price of pigs, from 121 to 170' lbs. at 71d a pbund, and that will have the effect of inducing growers to send lightweight pigs to the market, as porkers instead of baconers, and that will make a difference of many hundreds of thousands of pounds of bacon this

year. “The farmer who fattens pigs in winter time is entitled to the best price he can get for them. The Minister has fixed the price at round about 7id per pound; yet this time last year baconers were being sold at much higher than that. In fact, on one property in which I was mter-

ested we got later on in the year than this over 9d per pound for baconers. Entitled To All He Can Get “I repeat that the man who fattens pigs in winter time is entitled to all he can get for them. , But this is the interesting point: although the Minister has closed the market for the baconer and porker pigs, he has left the chopper market open. “Consequently, thousands of pigs which should be in the breeding pens of the country are finding their way into the chopper market. The Hon.* Mr Barclay.—lncorrect. Mr Sutherland. —Well, I attend as many sales as, probably more than, the Minister, and I know what I am talking about. “It is well known all over the country that many good breeding sows are finding their way into the market. I know of a case in which as much as £9 7s 6d was paid in the market for choppers, and quite a number brought over £9. “Those in the pig industry are not likely to keep their pigs when they will bring that price. The Minister’s interference has had a bad effect, and the pig population will be depleted seriously. The full repercussions of the present policy will not be felt until later on next year. Harm to Industry “I know one man has put away this year 500 porkers whic.i he would have carried on to the taconer stage had it not .been for the Minister’s interference. The Minister has said that he wants 150,0C0 more pigs fattened. At present there is a liability to a fine of £209 in the case of an individual operator and £l9OO in the

case of a company paying over schedule rates for pigs, subject to tolerance of id per pound. I suggest that the Minister’s'interference with the pig industry at the present time is not justified, and that it will do the inausu-y un«.o;d i.arm. ’