FARMERS' PLEDGE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24877, 26 April 1944, Page 7

FARMERS' PLEDGE

PBODUCE FOP BRITAIN NORTHLAND DECISION (0.C.) WHANG AREI, Tuesday That the new price payable to dairy farmers would approximate the equivalent of about 19d per lb., butter-fat was the opinion expressed b.v Mr. W. E. Hale, chairman of the Dairy Board, when urging the vital necessity of greatly-increased dairy production as the Dominion's principal war effort at the ward conference of the industry at Whangarei yesterday. The board, he said, had pledged the industry to securing increased supplies of -dairy produce for Britain and the Allied nations and he asked farmers to say whether they were prepared to do everything humanly possible to <iive effect to that Mr. Hale dealt with the discussions between the Dairy Hoard and the Government that had led up to the fixing of the increase, a figure below that which had been asked for by the industry. He appealed to leaders of the industry to see that, irrespective of their views 011 the price increase, they do all that was possible to increase production for export. Fullest Possible Effort l'he views of the conference iit rela- j tion to the price increase and to more production in the interests of the Dominion's war effort wore fully set out in the following resolution which was carried : —"This conference, representative of the dairy producers of North Auckland, although keenly disappointed at the failure of the "present Government to accord fair and reasonable treatment to the industry and with its failure to carry out during the present and past years its responsibilities and obligations under the Primary Products Marketing Act. but being fully appreciative of the vital and desperate needs |of the population of Great Britain for j the fullest possibly supply of dairy province during the coming most critical I year of the war. and placing these needs ; above all other considerations, hereby expresses on behalf of the producers of Northland their determination to do all humanly possible individually and collectively from now to the end of hostilities to increase their production and to adopt all measures possible to give effect to the needs of the world situation, notwithstanding any failure, or act of omission or commission on flic part of the Government of the country. Appeal lor Co-operation "Furthermore," the resolution continued, "this conference urges upon all individual producers and upon all sections of the community associated with, or engaged in the production or handling of dairy produce or foodstuffs for export to the United Kingdom, the urgent necessity of forgoing their sectional or individual interests in the common objective oi supplying the people of Great Britain with the fullest possible quota of produce to enable them to sustain their present war effort at the highest possible peak." tn an effort to emphasise upon farmers the paramount necessity for a Dominion-wide effort to increase production Mr. Hale will attend ward conferences of the Dairy Board throughout New Zealand during the next few weeks. The next conference is being held at Morrinsville on Wednesday. TALK OF MILLIONS LOST DEMAND FOR HIGHER PRICES (0.C.) WHANGAREI, Tuesday. Criticism of those who sought to sow disunity in the industry and bring discredit on its leaders was voiced by Mr. W. E. Hale, chairman of the New Zealand Dairy Board, who made a strong plea for unity in his address to the Northland ward conference at Whangarei yesterday. Suggestions had been made, he said, that because they did not have the right leaders, and because they did not insist on getting higher and ever higher prices from Britain for their butter and cheese, the dairy farmers had lost millions of pounds. "That is a popular way to talk," said Mr. Hale, "and an easy way, but it just isn't true." Up till about a year back the greatest concern of the industry's leaders and of the Government was whether they could ensure that Britain would be able to get the produce Just how serious that position was in 1 12 would be clear when he told them that in April of that year there were in store 52.000 tons of butter and 39.000 tons of cheese. Under conditions like that it was impossible for any leaders to force higher prices out of* Britain. At the outset of the war the Dominion conference had said it did not want high prices, but wanted costs covered. FERTILISER DELIVERIES GREATER EXPEDITION SOUGHT (0.C.) WHANGAREI, Monday Representations made to the Minister of Railways and the Minister of Defence with regard to the speeding up of ■ deliveries of fertiliser were referred to at the ward conference of the Dairy Board by Mr. A. J. Murdoch, M.P. In some areas, notably the Waikato, Army transport had materially assisted and . the position there was fairly satisfactory, stated Mr. Murdoch. That did ' not apply to the Northland, however, although an improvement had been effected. In a letter quoted by Mr. Murdoch the Railway Department stated that at no time during March was there a short supplv of waggons for the Auckland works," ample supplies being available. The department gave the following figures to show the increase. At one Auckland works 29 waggons were utilised daily in March, as compared with 21 in February and 10 in January, while other works were in a like proportion. The letter stated that the output from the works by rail for March was disappointing if the orders were in arrears to the extent that had been stated. After discussing the need for the use of straight superphosphate in North Auckland, the conference passed _ a recommendation that farmers in the north should be given freedom of choice as to the use of straight superphosphate or serpentine superphosphate in their allocations. OPIUM CHARGES A charge against Low On, Chinese shopkeeper, aged <l2, that, being the occupier of premises at 30 Grey's Avenue, he permitted them to be used for the smoking of opium, was dismissed by Mr. F. H. Lcvien, S.M., on j Monday. Accused pleaded not guilty. The magistrate said he was not satisfied from the police evidence that accused was the occupier of the house. Ah Lie, Chinese gardener, aged 32, who pleaded guilty to a charge of being in possession of prepared opium, was fined £l2 10s. Both accused were represented by Mr. Dickson. The magistrate ordered the confiscation of opium found on the premises. ______