THE FARMERS' PART.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16600, 25 July 1917, Page 6

THE FARMERS' PART.

SACRIFICE IN PRICES.

FEEDING AND CLOTHING ARMY.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —OWS COSRESPOXDEKT.]

WELLINGTON. Tuesday. At the opening of the New Zealand Farmers Union Conference to-day Sir Ja*. G. Wilson replied to the suggestion that the farmers of New Zealand have been unpatriotic. He said: "It conld easily be shown to any fair-minded person that so far is this from being the truth that ths prices accepted for their produce from the Imperial Government meant many millions less than the market value. Take wool: The value of the previous year's clip when sold on the open market would be at least a million more than was accepted by the farmers when the Minister for Agriculture bought the clip. If the wool had not been purchased, so great was the demand for it that our clip fhis last seasonat least the wool that reached Home— have fetched 25 per cent, more than was paid for it here. Our wocl has peculiar qualities which make it specially sought after for military purposes an elasticity not found in other wools — and we may fairly say that in wool alone the farmers of New Zealand have made a contribution to the clothing of the armies of the allies of at least a couple of million pounds. Our meat has clearly been a cheap purchase. Compare the price with what the Argentine people are getting, and it can easily be seen that the Imperial Government got it at a cheap rate, and we are only sorry that the people of England did not get the advantage of the cheaper prices when the meat that was not needed for the army was disposed of to the retailer. Cheese, too, came in at a much cheaper rate than that from Canada, and that grown at Home. So that instead of pointing the finger of scorn at the New Zealand farmer, he should receive th? grateful thanks of the Empire on doing his best to feed and clothe the army and the armies of the allies at such reasonable prices."