THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

Kaikoura Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 63, 14 August 1944, Page 3

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

PRICES FOE PRODUCE. WELLINGTON, August 9. The Minister of Agriculture and Marketing (the Hon. B. Roberts) declined to be drawn on the subject of the dairy price negotiations by Opposition interjections in the House of Representatives this evening. He dealt with a wide range of farming topics, but he did not discuss the disposal of the credits to be received from Britain under the new agreement. Several times during Mr Roberts's speech when there was a burst of Opposition interjections and cross talk from Government benches M r had to call the House to order. “Will you please tell us sonjething about the prices i 11 the Leader of the Opposition interjected, when the Minister was nearing the end of his time. “You have only about five minutes left. ’ ’ Mr Roberts: I have got something just as important to tell you. Mr Speaker: Order. The Minister must be allowed to make his speech in his own way.

As soon as Mr Speaker rang the bell to indicate that the Minister had only another five minutes, Mr F. W. Doidge (Tauranga) rose to move an extension of timje “so that the Minister can really tell us about the agreement. ’ ’ Mr Speaker then interrupted Mr Doidge. Mr Foberts: I don't require it. 1 shall give you enough to think about in the five minutes I have available. Several Opposition members apparently interpreted this as meaning that Mr Roberts was going to make some announcement, but he dealt with other iy.rt.ers for the remainder of his time. Mr W. Sullivan (Bay of Plenty), who followed Mr Roberts, expressed surprise that the only statement so far made by a Government speaker in the debate on this question had been made by the Minister of Health. Mr T. H. McCombs (Lyttelton), who followed Mr Sullivan, said the Opposition was making political capital be cause the Government had given an undertaking to Britain not to discuss the prices over the air. Negotiations with the United Kingdom were still going on, and the Government was discussing the question with New Zealand farm ers. The Minister's hands were tied. Opposition voices: His hands are al- ■ tied.

STABLE LAND VALUES. In his speech, Mr Roberts said it was 20 years since the dairy industry had received . the price they were receiving at present. Yet the Government was holding down costs and stabilising land values, and had taken steps to ensure that the stable position of producers would continue. Commenting on Opposition complaints that farm production had declined, Mr Roberts said members of the Opposition blamed coalminers for the decrease in farm production. Although the two were not on all fours, coalminers had to meet increased demands without the assistance of former imports, while foodstuffs were still being imported into New Zealand. Production in New Zealand had been streamlined to meet war needs. It would have been useless to keep fit men in production if invaders were allowed into the country. ‘‘Are we going to carry on the dairy industry on the principle of the stock exchange or the facecourse, farming with absentee landlords, or are we going to maintain the foundation this Government has laid for a prosperous agriculture ” asked Mr Roberts. “We want people living on the land they farm.” An Opposition voice: Their own land.

Mr Roberts: They can't take it with them, whether it is leasehold, freehold, or any other hold. Mr Roberts defended the Government's policy concerning primary production during the war, which, he said, had been successfully adapted to Brit ain changing needs. At the same time the level of production had been maintained. Mr Holland: Is the Minister satisfied with the production of the last j few years? Mr Roberts: I shall not be satisfied j until we have got the highest possible production throughout the Dominion. That is what we need, and what the whole world needs. Mr Roberts added that the crux of’ the production problem was manpower. ■ The Government had arranged for 4000 > men from the Pacific- for farm work,, yet to the end of June only 3337 appli- i cations for farm labour had been ap-1 proved by primary production councils. Mr K J. Holyaoke (Pahiatua): This is the ninth of August. Mr Roberts discussed the Government's encouragement of farmers' cooperative organisations which, he said, had been placed on the list of authorised distributors for imports of grain and stock meals. Mr Doidge then proposed that the Minister’ s time be extended.

Mr Roberts thanked Mr Doidge, and said an extension was unnecessary. He said that in spite of much talk of frustation of farmers, the last three years had been a time of inspiration for any- ;? of British blood. Farmers had an.we red the call. An Opposition interjector: You have ,t responded to our call for information.