DEARER BUTTER

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10718, 12 October 1920, Page 5

DEARER BUTTER

CHILDREN SUFFERING PROTEST BY SCHOOL COMMITTEES' ASSOCIATION. A well-attended meeting of the Weilington School Committees' Association was held in the Board of Education room last night, Mr A. G. Wallace presiding. A letter was received from the Northland school committee asking thab the question of the price of butter should be taken up by the association. Mr Patterson (a Northland delegate) stated that on the average each child consumed at' least a box of butvcr a year, and it was a most nourishing foSd. The big increase in price would result in the children receiving less butter; and, as a large .number of children were already suffering from malnutrition, the association was urged to seo what could, be done to arrange for an amply supply of butrter for the children at a reasonable price. For a man with six children the increased price of butter meant £2O a year and that was a big handicap. But' for the startling evidence given before the Butter Prices Committer — lie did not know whether the great losses shown were due to bad milking or good book-keeping —ho would say something very strong on the subject. He thought that a scheme should be arranged whereby butter should be obtainable at 2s a pound. He was willing to consider the extra 3d; but,not tho lOd over and above that- The lOd was out of the question. It would put butter practically out of -the reach of the average householder and absolutely out of the reach of the poorer householder, and the result on the physique of tho' children would be very bad indeed.

RESOLUTION OP PROTEST. He moved: ''That we enter our strong protest against the proposed increased price of butter, which would mean that tho children would be deprived of their natural food; and we earnestly call upon the Prjmo Minister and'members of Parliament) to protect the children ugainst the proposed action."

Mrs Swan said that if the women would follow hex not a pound of butter should leave the wharf .till a sufficient! supply for local needs at a reasonable price was assured. She would not ask the waterside workers to take action. She thought the women should do so.

A delegate who had previously been a farmer said that he had heard a lot of "piffle" about farming from Mr Patterson. There was nothing in butter for the farmer. He made his profit, not out of butter, but out of the land. He moved that the letter be received. Out of the increased price, of butter they would ultimately get money to build their' schools. ■-...' Mrs East urged that the matter should be adjusted reasonably before the people were driven to direct action, if not into revolt. The land should never have been allowed to be bo inflated in price, for that inflated price was used to justify the exorbitant price of butter. She urged that the price should be kept down in the local market, as suggested; and that the receipts of the farmers supplying the local market and of those exporting should be equalised by means of - an export tax. _ Good, nutritious food wag even more important for the children, from the State point of view, than a good education. Dr Tannei and other delegates strongly simported the motion. Mr" Sin do seconded the amendment. It-was no good, he said, try-* ing to sweep back the ocean with a broom. The camsea of the present) high prices were international, and euch as the Now Zealand Government could not control. H.e .ventured to say that if butter went 'up" io 2s 10d, 110 child would edt a pound less. Interjections of ''Piffle," ind ''They're eating le6g now." Mr Sando deprecated any talk in the association of direct notion nnd industrial strife. Tho Government had passed legislation, as a result of which the Arbitration Court raised wages in Proportion, to tho increased cost «f living. CULT OF THE JUMPING CAT.

A working-class delegate protested that wages had not been raised to anything like the same .extent as "tho coat of jiving. "Mr Massoy," ht> en-.J ''was only waiting to see how the cat would jumri, (Laughter.) When h* saw how much the peoplo would stand he would arrange accordingly." (Hear, hear.) Replying on the discussion he said that an export tax of 9d a pound on 20 per cent, of the butter exported from the Dominion would equalise the profits of those supplying the 20 per cent, of the butter consumed in the country. He could not see how th.*y wero to get monoy "to build their schools out of the increased price of butter. On • the evidence put, before the Butter Prices Committee, it seemed that the farmers were making losses, not profits, on butter, so that they would pay no income tax; and he believed thcy~would pay no Increase* land tax .because of the price of ud>ter, because the valuers would rule that it was a boom price and should not bo taken into account. The motion of protest was carried by a largo majority. RAILWAYMEN'S DEMANDS WANT EXPORT BUTTER DECLARED "BLACK." pun rnx"s AHsnoiATtow. CHRISTCHURCH, October 1. The following resolution was passed at a meeting of railwaymen held at Lyttelton this morning:—"That this combined and massed meetfl'ngof railwaymen, strongly protests against the recent rise in the price of butter and other commodities, and wo request all other organisations, as well as the general public, to endorse the proposal declaring butter consigned for port 'black, until it has been reduced to its original price, or a. proportional increase in wages is granted to tihe wage-earners. Further, we call upon the Government to take more_ drastic measures to prevent profiteering and. also to take into serious consideration the continual rise in the prices of the necessaries of life, with the object of arriving at some solution, of the alarming difficulty. Wo also urge Mie executive councils of the three railway

societies to press for an increase in wnfres to meet the increased cost of living that has talc en place since last negotiations, under the Labour Disputes Investigation Act." ACTION DEFERRED AUCKLAND RAH/WAYJMEN AND BUTTER PRICES. TUB PItESS ASSOCIATION. AUCKLAND. October 11th. The Auckland Raihvaymen ' discussed the quostion of taking action in relerenoe to the Increase" in the prioe of butter, etc., and it-svas decided not to support the action of the Wellington branches, but refer the matter to the Genera! Conference to be held in Wellington on November Ist.