LABOUR AND FARMERS.

Matamata Record, Volume XVI, Issue 1442, 17 July 1933, Page 6

LABOUR AND FARMERS.

WHERE THEY AGREE.

Reorganising Dairy Industry.

“ That is straightout Socialism; that expresses the ideas we have set out in our policy,” said Mr. J. Thorn, National Secretary of the New Zealand Labour Party, after reading to his Morrinsville audience last week a remit before the recent conference of the National Dairy Association, which urged that the dairy industry should be reorganised. The resolution, sponsored by Mr. A. J. Sinclair, of Te Awamutu, had urged the need for checking overlapping of factories’ territory, the closing of uneconomic factories, and other drastic efforts to eliminate uneconomic competition.

Value of New Zealand Market. “ We consume 23,000 tons of butter in New Zealand annually,” added Mr. Thorn. “ Mr. Forbes and Mr. Coates are continually sneering at the New Zealand market for butter. I agree with Mr. Sinclair when he said that a market which consumes 20,000 tons of butter is not too small to be worth considering.” Mr. Sinclair was also reported as pointing out the merits of the Queensland butter stabilisation scheme which

worked apart from the Paterson scheme. It was a Labour Government in Queensland which had passed the legislation which Mr. Sinclair had eulogised. Another statement in favour of “ orderly marketing ” had been made at the conference by Mr. W. Grounds, whose policy .of absolute control was torpedoed by Mr. Coates in 1925.” After quoting Mr. Grounds’ words, Mr. Thorn added: “It almost looks as if Mr. Grounds was popularising the Labour Party’s proposals at that gathering of the dairy industry.”

No Need for Quotas.

Explaining that land settlement was included in the Labour Party’s policy, notwithstanding the low price of produce, Mr. Thom declared that there was “no occasion for quotas and restrictions.” New Zealanders consumed 401 bof butter per head annually, which meant that every 56 people consumed a ton of butter. Suppose the people of Britain consumed as much per head, it would mean a total consumption in Brit(Continued in Next Column)

ain of 780,000 tons a year, compared with an actual consumption of 465,000 tons in 1932. People in Britain were only consuming a little more than half what New Zealanders consumed.

“ Now the proposal is to limit the export of butter to the 1932 level,” added Mr. Thorn. That means that we are to debar the English people of 325,000 tons of butter they could consume if they lived up to our standard of living.” The real remedy is to raise the standard of living so as to bring the consumer within reach. If the people of Britain had the means they would live up to our standard of living. Then there

would be room for the extra 325,000 tons of butter, and there would be no need for quotas and restrictions.