GUARANTEED PRICE FOR SHEEP FARMERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23828, 7 June 1939, Page 17

GUARANTEED PRICE FOR SHEEP FARMERS

TO THE EDITOR Sir,—ln your issue of May 31, Mr lan J. Ross, of the Waimate Guaranteed Price Association, writes that he is so convinced of the merits of the guaranteed price plan that he is willing io try to show ' Countrymar ' its advantages, conditional on the latter agreeing to divorce the matter entirely from party politics and dropping his anonymity No doubt Mr Ross could put up a case for the guaranteed price. If he has assisted in converting 50 Waimate farmers to it he is wastine a golden opportunity in not bringing forth his convincing reasons for all sceptical farmers to read. In his first letter on this subject I thought that Mr Ross stated his case very fairly I would not at the time have considered him as showing any party bias. If he should now make the claim that all opposition to the guaranteed price offer is prompted by party politics I could only conclude that he is an adherent of that political party v/hich is so sensitive to and intolerant of criticism in any form By all means let us divorce this important matter from party interests Principles, not party or personalities is the policy I have always followed in writing to the press For this reason I see no necessity for disclosing my name in the present case. lan J 'loss is only s name to Tie, I care nothing for his political views, and my name can convey nothing to him. I may state, however, that I am engaged in both sheep and dairy farming and that my experience of the guaranteed price for dairy produce deters ne from any desire for the same system applied to mutton and wool. There is small possibility of the guar-

anteed price being foisted on sheep farmers against their will, and the great majority have declared definitely against it If, however, a certain section wishes xor a guaranteed price it is up to them to state their case before their fellow farmers.—l am, etc., June 4. Countryman.