TO-DAY'S PROBLEMS.

Northern Advocate, 27 May 1921, Page 1

TO-DAY'S PROBLEMS.

■FINANCE AND DAIRY ?RON .SPDCTS

,'. BURDEN OF 'HIGH FREIGHTS. /

''I believe that dairy produce will realise a good price next year, but not the present price," declared JVlr 0. Haw'ken. M.P., at a conference of the Farmers' Union at Hawera last week. There had been a great deal of talk about high land values, added Glr Hawken, bult he. wa3 satisfied that many people made the mistake of watching land values and overlooking the fact that over-trading had reached a very great height in New Zealand. The difficulties in the country * were not caused by the high •pnice of land, but because the ex. .

penditure was so great that it had taken all the free money in the country to pay for the goods imported. Thd real difficulty wiifch finance, added 'Mr Hawken, was that the country wa3 spending more than it was making, and he was rather concerned in some ways, 'because the , farming community (excepting the { 'dairy farmers) had had to face the •mtisic and had to draw in their {expenditure a good deal. If wages and expenditure were to continue on the old scale it would be some time before the turn of the tide came, and his advico was that everyone should meet the position by spending as little money as possible and by sending as little money a s possible out of the country. In this connection he desired to refer to the serious position which was arising through so much money ftedng sent out of the country for coal, whereas, with increased production, none of that money need be sent out. Referring to shipping, Mr Hawken said he was a member of the Producers' Committee, and there was no doubt ■ in his mind that the charges ; of shipping to the Old Country were excessive and almost ruinous- In come cases the freight was so high f k that it did not pay to send produce 'Home, this being particularly so with meat at. the present time. The Producers' Committee had gone into the position very carefully, and after examining the matter had come to the conclusion that the companies' charges had gone up all round to an amazing extent; and authorities who oufc'ht to know said that the present contract, which was signed some months ago, was .not particularly ex-ci-ssive in view of these charges j which the companies had to meet. , But it wa 3 not only the charges to the Old Country which were so very "higS but the charges for shipping between' the Vorth and iSouth Islands i'jso gave concern. Oats, for instance were sold for 2s a bushel in the South Island, yet in Taranaki they cost ss, and potatoes, which wtro about £fl 103 ?. ton in the .•south, cost about £'• in Taranaki. It was a case 01. c/trybod.,' .-eltin? a little too much, and -it was up to them all to examine all .charges. If things were brought to a proper foot- . ing it would not be long before matter 3 would be righted- New Zealand was a good country provided they managed their affairs in a wise and careful mvnur.