Readers Write

Northern Advocate, 18 April 1938, Page 4

Readers Write

Repetition is decidedly boring and. I hope that it will not be necessary, to further repeat that "Reform’s” de-;

dnotions re “Dairy Reserve” are wholly erroneous. As I have twice pre-

DAIRY RESERVE.

viously slated that the’ subject is no longer' under discussion, why waste valuable space "riding a dead horse”? And how often must I repeat that simple little word “temporarily”? Surely it is obvious to the meanest intelligence that an increase in tariffs is effective only if internal costs are not rising. With Labour’s policy of boosting internal costs, tariffs must continue to rise, to give "protection” to the manufacturers and the city workers. The farmer pays the pfper to a greater extent than any other section of the community.

This “rising cost” policy is the cause of the present insistent demand by Hie farmers for justice through a compensating price. Labour had the chance to fulfil its pre-election promise and measure the farmers’ reward with the same tape. But with a compensated price, Labour would never gain its ■objective by constitutional means—-the socialisation of land, and so the commandeer price won the day. Can Reform” defend the following figures: 1914. skilled labour l/4i per hour, butterfat 12d; 1938. skilled labour 2/9 per hour, butterfat (estimate) 1/2?

A few of your correspondents are very busy praising Labour’s policy of boosting internal costs, while at the same time commandeering the farmers' produce at a price about which he is not consulted and which bears no relation to steadily rising costs. Let these propagandists justify a rise of 100 per cent, in wages against the farmer’s rise of roughly 20 per cent.

[Readers are urged to make use of this Correspondence Column of the “Northern Advocate ” and are requested to confine their letters to a maximum of 300 words.l

This policy of rising costs, regulation, regimentation, etc., has caused, and is causing, disruption in all branches of industry, and protests fill the air from all sections. All this at a time when national income has eclipsed all records. It would seem that reason in government has also been eclipsed.

Regarding costs, one item which Labour has boosted, and which will stand the pruning knife, is taxation.— STUART A. BROWN.

I read with surprise the report of the last meeting of the Whangarei County Council, particularly the

statement; “Although COUNTY AND there is sufficient ROADS■ money in hand to keep roads in repair they are not being repaired because it takes £1 to do today what could have been done for 10/- in the past, and because of a shortage of contractors and men who are all being absorbed by the Public Works Department.” What a contrast the above portion of the Whangarei County Council’s report is to those coming through from the Minister of Public Works. Why, he is cutting out time, and money by the mile on his jobs. Yes, better and better, cheaper and cheaper, and no money lying idle. He pays while he goes, with no scrounging on the job. Besides, the policy of the P.W.D. is not to give jobs to those who leave other bodies to go to them.

If the county council treat many of their contractors as they have done the contractor who had the contract to metal my road, I don’t wonder at there being shy tenderers to the county council. Yes, the P.W.D. specifications specified two-inch metal, yet the contractor was allowed to put on four inches, up to 90 per cent., on the length of the contract. Then ,he was told he had to break it to two inches. Besides this, the grading and forming of the road did not keep up with the pace of the contract, forcing the contractor to let the job stand half finished for months. Again, the county let another job to this contractor while he was on my road, which was to be metalled from the same quarry as my road, but as the formation was not ready on the new job, the contractor had to shift his gear miles away to another job.

j j wish to also say that three days before the last meeting of the council I was arranging with the clerk to receive a settlers’ petition, and he told me then that if I did not submit the name of a contractor who would tender, it would be useless to lodge the petition, as the council had hundreds of such requests filed for want of contractors. The next morning I supplied by letter two names of competent contractors with plant ready to tender, also three competent quarrymen ready to start the proposition our petition asked for. This does not coincide with the county statement. New. sir, my main object in writing this letter is that I am afraid the glowing account the council has given of trucks and men wanted will be leading young people into trouble by buying trucks to do work that I believe can be done by our present plant it the necessary organisation was in force. Anyway, I don’t think much of this sit-down money strike of this council, and. worse still, this going backwards to where 10/- bought as much as £1 does today, because at that time I sold 201bs butter for 12/ and today I sell 201bs of butter for 25/-, and my dear old guaranteed price would be taken from me.— JOHN McBREEN.