THE GUARANTEED PRICE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23528, 17 June 1938, Page 14

THE GUARANTEED PRICE

10 nil' EDITOR

Sir, —I was rather surprised to read your footnote to the letter signed “ Father ’’ in yesterday’s Daily* Times. Your note would lead one to believe that the Labour Party was using the exchange rate for some other purpose than the. guaranteed price of butter, when you know otherwise. At any rate, it would not matter if it did, so as it made the guaranteed price quite clear. If butter had dropped to 6d in London the price was fixed here. The Opposition worked hard to prevent the Bill going through, and now it says that the farmer did not get enough. The Labour Party certainly carried out its promise to the farmer. Again, when the old party was in power 50 per cent, of the farmers were insolvent. The last Government’s only solution was to couple up the dairy farms until they could carry 80 cows. It had no solution of the problem of dealing with the farmer who lost his holding: he would be obliged to work for the big farmer for whatever he was offered or go on the “sugar bag parade." Labour put the small farmer on safe grounds; interest was reduced, mortgages adjusted, and many cases of rent were wiped off. The past Government’s idea was to send officials round to the farmer, worrying him to pay his rent or interest, or tighten up his belt and produce more. Yet the more the farmer produced the less he got for it.

I read the letter from “ Farm Slave ” in Tuesday’s paper. 1 wonder if “ Farm Slave ” imagines that the Labour Party is responsible for his conditions, as most farm labour is employed by the capitalistic farmer. Usually when a lad is employed by a small farmer he is housed with the family. Besides, Labour is blamed for raising the farm labourer's wages.

With regard to the Hamilton party, I always try to find out what it has to say, but have never discovered anything in its policy. It appears, like many other people, to be satisfied with pulling Labour to pieces. I voted last election, not to put Labour in, but to put the old party out, as Mr Coates's idea was to make the worker eat grass, and Mr Hamilton’s idea was that the worker or pensioner should eat pound notes. As they only eat what we produce. thus making both producer and middle man richer, why not give them all they can eat? The capitalistic party is right up against unions, yet is bosom friend with the Labour Union. I wonder what percentage of the working farmers belong to the Farmers’ Union. I once belonged to this union, and the only privilege I had was to pay my subscription, but the working farmer has his eyes open to both Mr Hamilton and the Farmers’ Union.—l am, etc., Old Farmer. Macandrew Bay, June 15. [The information in the footnote to a letter signed 11 Father ” was a simple

statement of fact in reply to a question which the correspondent asked. With reference to the assertion m the above letter that “ Labour put the small farmer on his feet,” it seems necessary, in the interests of historical accuracy, to remind “ Old Farmer’’that it was ’by legislation brought down by the Coalition Government that, machinery was established for the adjustment of mortgages and the reduction of interest and rents. Lei.* 0.D.T.l