LESS-THAN-VALUE CONTRIBUTION.

Northern Advocate, 28 August 1919, Page 3

LESS-THAN-VALUE CONTRIBUTION.

A correspondent of the "Dominion" makes out that during the war the signing himself "Primary Producer" makes out that during the war the farmers of New Zealand, by supplying m e at and wool to the Imperial Government at prices largely below their market values, contributed no less than fifty-eight and a. .quarter millions in hard cash to the fighting funds of the Empire without taking their payments in taxation or their voluntary contributions into account at all. "The free-on-board cost may be taken at sixpence a pound, more or less," he says, first referring to meat, "and as the landed cost in London is about ninepence, and the wholesale selling price about Is 3d to Is 3Jd, it is not difficult to estimate the gross profit of the Food Commissioner at about £35,750,000." Then as to wool. "It is now admitted," he continues, "that our wool was sold to the Imperial Government at about sixpence a pound less than they offered for it, and that without taking present market prices into consideration, our annual shortage un der the commandeer for the three clips works out at about £7,500,000 or £22,500,000 in all." The correspondent wants to know if it is, fa'.r in face of all this to accuse the primary producer of exploiting the consumer and not bearing his fair snare of taxation.