“ENTITLED TO A BETTER DEAL”

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 11 September 1937, Page 15

“ENTITLED TO A BETTER DEAL”

STRUGGLING FARMERS WILL GIVE UP HOPE COMMENT BY MR POLSON, M.P. WELLINGTON. 10th September. Commenting on the statement of the Hon. W Nash. Minister of Finance, Mr VV. I. Poison M.P said: 'Mr Nash lias left no doubt in anyone’s mind to-day regarding the policy of the Government

in respect of the dairy farmer. It is the 'immediate policy of Socialism. The value of an efficient, farmer's reward is to be £5 10s a week, from which he n.ust deduct 30s for his house and farm produce consumed by himself and his family. The farmer is a skilled worker employing capital in addition to his skill and experience. Mr Nash’s statement to-day provides nothing for his capital, management, or the hours he works. He is to receive what the worker in industry gets, no more and no less. “Mr Nash justifies the guaranteed price by the publication of some figures which do not agree with either the figures carefully compiled and published by the Farmers’ Union or the New Zealand Co-op. Dairy Company, Ltd.” continued Mr Poison. “On what are these figures based? One is entitled to ask not for extracts from a report, which may be a mejarity or minority report, but for the publication of the whole report or reports without excision If the ordinary skilled worker is to receive 2s 9d per hour and the watersider 2s Bd, with no interest in the results of their labour, the farmer working sometimes double the hours under all weather conditions, without many of the amenities of town life and risking the gamble of seasons as well as his capital, is entitled to a better deal. What has become of the promise to measure the farmers’ work on the same yardstick as the other section of the community’ “The worst feature of the new arrangement is that many struggling farmers will give up hope. Why submit to such conditions when the watersider. with no responsibilities, can earn a similar award? Small farmers constitute a majority of those engaged in the industry but the large farmers who employ labour to any extent will be even more seriously affected by the rising tide of costs which is only beginning.”