FARM PROBLEMS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22629, 18 January 1937, Page 12

FARM PROBLEMS

PRICES AND LABOUR MR. A. G. OSBORNE'S DEFENCE HECKLERS AT MEETING [BV TELEGRAPH —OWN CORRESPONDENT] JE AWAMUTU, Sunday Heckling from a small section of the audience at the back of the hall enlivened an address by Mr. A. G. Osborne. M.P. for Manukau. at Te Awamutu last night. During the earlier part of his address Mr. Osborne nns accorded an attentive hearing. When he commenced to deal with the problems of the farming community, however, he was subjected to continual' interruptions, and at one stage the uproar was so great that the speaker had to wait for it to subside before he could proceed. ' ; 11 is no use trying to bustle me,'' said Mr. Osborne. "1 run too experienced a platform man for that." He scored frequently off interjeetors who commenced to interrupt when he proceeded to demonstrate that the Government had fulfilled its election pledges. "We have given the farmers a guaranteed price," he commented. Voices: It's too small. It's not enough. Mr. Osborne: The price is in excess of what we promised you in ll'3o. Voices; No. Considerable Uproar Mr. Osborjie: The dairy farmers are receiving £560.000 a year in excess of the average price for the last 10 years. A \nice: We were told the price would be Is 3d.

Mr. Osborne: I defy anyone to prove that a responsible official of the Labour Party promised Is 3d. There is not a scrap or evidence to support it. A Voice: Mr. Nash did.

Mr. Osborne: And I say Mr. Nash did not. 1 have his pamphlet here to prove it.

Voices: What about Mr. Langstone? Mr. Osborne: \es, and Mr. Langstone too. For the purposes of illustration, Mr. Langstone merely used the words Supposing the average price from eight to ten years should be Is 3d." Considerable uproar followed this statement, during which a man in the audience said he had heard Mr. Langstone promise Is 3d.

Mr. Osborne: I prefer to accept Mr. Langstone s written statement to what you thought you heard. After the interjections had subsided. Mr. Osborne said that a committee of dairy experts had been co-opted to consider the factors on which the guaranteed price was to be based next season. "Mr. Nash is the best friend the small working farmer has ever had, and you know it," he added. Camp at Morrinsville

Interjections again became frequent when Mr. Osborne was dealing with the problem of farm labour. He said that, following reports from Labour members in the \\aikato, the Government had become greatly concerned at the shortage of farm labour. A Government caucus had .spent a full day considering the problem, and it was"decided to establish a camp at Morrinsville. "Yet," continued Mr. Osborne.

"young men who entered that camp were told by farmers that their services were not required. I am convinced that the problem is greatlyexaggerated and is largely the result of propaganda." At this stage, two or three farmers interposed to say that thev had been unable to obtain labour.

Mr. Osborne: Well, if you are genuine in your assertions, send a wire to the placement officer at Auckland on Monday and he will "guarantee you a skilled labourer within 48 hours. I have his authority for making that statement. Mr. Osborne added that the placement officer had told him that there was a shortage of married couples for farms. "That is quite understandable." he continued, "for no woman is anxious to work in a cowshed."

At the conclusion of the address a motion was carried without dissent thanking the speaker, and expressing the opinion that Labour's policy was best suited to the needs of the country.

GUARANTEED PRICE REPLY TO DRURY FARMERS [ebom OL'R own correspondent] KAWAKAWA, Saturday The following resolution was passed at a meeting of the Kawakawa branch of the Farmers' Union: "That this branch, while admitting that the guaranteed price is not as high as may be individually desired, considers that farmers have nothing to lo«e and all to gain by the guaranteed price, and strongly disagrees with the views expressed by the recently-formed branch of the union at Drury. it urges all branches to unite to combat the retrogressive policy advocated by the Drury branch when it suggests that the guaranteed price policy be abolished, and also its attempt to introduce political propaganda, as indicated by its suggestion that the Government should resign."

REDUCED HERDS EXPECTED BAY OF PLENTY DISTRICT [ebom our own correspondent] WHAKATANE, Saturday The difficulty of obtaining farm labour in the Bay of Plenty has caused much inconvenience to dairvfarmcrs. A stock agent to-day stated that he would not be surprised to see herds generally reduced by next season. He thought that cull lambs' would be bought in good numbers to graze the paddocks vacated by cows and that there would definitely be a big swing over to sheep in the areas where mixed farming has long been carried on.

WORKERS FOR LAND CLASSIFICATION URGED [by telegraph —own correspondent] TE KUITI, Saturday A statement that many farmers had been put to trouble and expense through men sent forward by the labour bureau in Hamilton being unfitted for the work was made at a meeting of the newly-formed To Kuiti branch of the Fanners' Union. A remit was carried urging that, at the bureau, farm labourers should be classified, taking into consideration the districts where they had previously worked and the character, age and experience of the man. Another remit carried asked what steps the Government intended to take in regard to the building of farm houses. It was contended that there was an urgent need for new farm houses throughout the King Country.