Readers Write

Northern Advocate, 9 February 1940, Page 4

Readers Write

In your issue of February Ist, I read with interest a letter signed by Mr Mcßreen. I would like to reply to some of the reBUTTERFAT marks made by him. COMPARISONS, In the first place, I would like to correct his mis-statement that the year after we received 2/6 per lb. for our butterfat, the price dropped to 9d per lb.. Now, sir, the price the Hikurangi Dairy Company paid its suppliers for that season was 15.600 d over all grades, or slightly over 16d for superfine. . In perusing the official list of pay-, puts from this company, and also the Whangarei Company’s list, which I; have here at my elbow, I find that it was 12 years after the 2/6 payout that we dropped to the 9cl payout. Did Mr Mcßreen try to emulate Rip van Winkle and sleep 20 years, and only knock off 12 of them, or did he listen to a certain Labour M.P. whom I had the pleasure of correcting on this self-same statement? Mr Mcßreen also sponsors a GovI ernment subsidy for farmers to head I off rising costs, so that they can increase production, etc., but I wonder if your correspondent knows who the Government will rob of the subsidy before handing it on to us? Mr Mcßreen’s remarks about the Price Fixation Committee wei'e rather amusing, especially when you consider the price potatoes were about six months ago, and also take the price of ryegrass seed, which has risen in the last ten years from 5d per lb. to about 15d—only 300 per cent, —while our butterfat price has been reduced per lb. Your correspondent’s remarks about the appeal the Government made to keep more heifers this season was rather belated, as most farmers had most of their cows in when it was put over. I had one to come in. In conclusion, sir, it does seem strange that the Government of the day should appeal to us to produce more and work still longer hours, under the burden of rising costs, at a fixed price per lb. of butterfat, to feed our armies and also raise our sterling funds when we have Organised Labour holding strikes throughout the length and breadth of our fair land. Take the case of the Foxton flaxmillers’ recent strike. The men lost £240 in wages, and the Government £9OO in sterling funds in having to import textiles from India. And all the time our country is at war. Some of your readers may call these stunts co-operation, but I would call them criminal. —F. C. G. RUSK (Paiaka, Towai).