FOOD BOODLING

Maoriland Worker, Volume 13, Issue 30, 25 July 1923, Page 1

FOOD BOODLING

Capitalism and Tea. x " When the Massey Government reduced the lea duty, an illusion was cultivated in the newspapers that prices would .' decline. Tea was to be 2d. to 4d. less per pound. Very m swiftly, • however, our old friend, the "law of supply and. demand," was trolled out to show that this notion was as insubstantial as the baseless fabric.' of a dream. It appeal's that during the war* the British Government rationed Tea, with the result that; at its end enormous stocks of lea were piled up in the warehouses. There was too much tea. a ~ condition which, under capitalism, as we know, causes a " disturbance of trade." There being too much tea (although, God knows, millions needed it) the market crashed, and in the mysterious dispensation tof capitalism main who grew the tea were ruined. To those who escaped this fate the problem was how to reduce supplies In order { to "denude the market and force up prices. THEY SOLVED IT BY *' GOING SLOW." Some quotations from the .commercial columns of the daily pi'r-ss"; " A sweeping ohanue of jmlicv was decided upon hv those { .vvli.o survived the slump. PKODUCTION WAS 'DECKE-ASrvD . . oh] stocks were slowly absorbed until to-day there is actually a pos- ' sihility of supplies during the coming season, being insufficient to ' meet the demand." '' The existing liigh prices, it is held ?>y '.' traders, are directly caused by the belief that this increased proI duci.joii (of 5(1 to (id million pounds) may not be realised." Ton see, they are still " going slow." Whin a mad economic '' system"! Plenteous tea stocks result [ hi bankruptcy, and to save themselves the more fortunate Tea- !> growers were compelled to lessen production at a time when their ,s>-en"ivJierc'--ircrc girding 'at ■ the 'workers to " pcoduce more." ' • Tlieir " go-slow " has been' effective. We read (Press Asso-«.-?«jfion, July 12) : " There is a shortage, of stocks, which will pre- ... yy:i\y involve an increase (in price) to A SI'iiSTA:\TIAL - ■ ".AMOUNT." In. ether words, the tea boodlers' restriction of out- / pat has made My. .Massey's tea reduction of no avail, it is a case of i-apitaHsm stultifying the Government. ■' in respect to this ."' go-sloAv," Mr. Skerrett/s " 'Welfare " League Ims behaved with wonderful restraint.