N.Z. FARMERS’ UNION.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12452, 19 September 1933, Page 2

N.Z. FARMERS’ UNION.

INTERESTING NOTES. On September 1 Gtii, Air T. Baxter, a representative of the National Farmers’ Union of England, will arrive in Wellington by the lonic. The object of his visit is to explain to our farming community the serious plight the British farmer is in, and to arrive at some friendly arrangement regarding the imposition of restrictions on our exports of dairy produce to Great Britain. The policy of this Union is strongly adverse to the imposition of any form of restriction on our exports of primary produce. It is quite safe to say that many a dairy farmer has been kept on his property during the past three years through the extra production brought abopt by better breeding and better feeding. Disaster amongst our small dairy farmers would result if ‘the industry had to slow down our exports a bit, and local prices would drop far below the cost of production.

Those New Zealand farmers who came into contact with the Empire farmers’ party who toured New Zealand at the beginning of 1930 will regret to learn of the deaths of Alessrs S. R AVhitley (leader of the party) and A. Oanham (secretary). Mr AVhitley was considered one of the leading authorities m England on dairy farming, and was a brother of the Right Hon. J. H. Whitley, Speaker of the House of Commons for a time. Since the 1930 tour in Australasia, Mr Canham had conducted a tour of British farmers through Canada, and at the time of his death was organising a tour in South Africa for 1934.

At the request of the South Canterbury- Executive, investigations have recently been made into the hare export industry. The results of these investigations show that: (a) 27,952 carcases valued at £2.718 were exported to the United Kingdom in 1930; 20,484 carcases valued at £1.587 were exported to the United Kingdom in 1931 ; 30,879 cargases valued at £1,826 were exported to the United Kingdom in 1932. For the period 1927-32, 140,575 carcases valued at £11,098 were exported to England, the average value per carcase being about Is 7d. (b) On the London markets, hares are sold in cases of a dozen; first grade (71bs each) bring about 24s a case, and second grade (6-71bs weight) bring 21s. 1c) The freight on frozen hares is 90s per 40 cubic feet (a ton), less 15 per cent.

Great Britain has never been able to produce enough butter for her enormous local consumption. In 1913, her imports of butter totalled 4.139.000 cwts. Of this amount Empire countries produced only 848,000 cwts compared with 3,291,000 from foreign countries. The principal Empire exporting country in those prewar days was Australia, with a total export ol 594,000 cwt. New Zealand was -a poor second with only 252,000 cwts. Denmark headed the foreign imports with 1,707,000 cwts. with Russia 751,000 cwts, Sweden 332,000 cwts, France 249,000 cwts, Netherlands 153. 000 cwts and Argentina 73,000 cwts.

Shearing rates: Representatives or the New Zealand Sheepowners’ Federation and the New Zealand AVorkers’ Union have agreed or. the following rates for the approaching shearing season,-—(a) Shearers: 18s per 100 with rations, AVhere shearers find their own rations 5s per 100 additional. Stud sheep to be settled by agreement. Rams double the usual rate and hogget rams one and a half times the usual rate, (b) Cooks: 56s per week. (e) Cooks’ mates: 45s per week or 8s a dav (d) Pressers; 4os per week or Is 3d an hour. (e) Shed hands: 40s a week or Is Id per hour, (f) Youths under 18 : 25s a week or 9d an hour. Ihe rates for 1934-35 and 193.5-36 will be on a sliding scale based on the price of wool.

In 1932, Great Britain imported 8,449,000 cwts of butter of which 4,421,000 cwts were imported from Empire countries and 4.028,000 cwts from foreign countries. The principal imports were from: (1) Denmark, 2,584,000 cwt; (2) New Zealand, 2,223,000 cwt ; (3) Australia, 1,796,000 cwt; (4) Argentina, 390,000 cwt; (5) Canada, 315.000 cwt- (6) Finland, 217,000 cwt;' (7) Sweden, 176,000 cwt; (8) Latvia, 113,000

cwt; (9) Esthonia, 83,000 cwt ; (10) Lithuania, _ 68,000 cwt. From these figures it is apparent that there is no call for any restrictions on Empire butter.

Some time ago the Union asked the Postmaster-General to consider the. advisability of establishing Savings Banks ledger offices in the smaller centres to avoid the neeessity of effecting withdrawals by telegraph. Th© Postmaster-General, in reply, stated that the question of extending Savings Bank ledger facilities to an addition number of country centres had been under his Department’s close observation for some tinie. During the past two years about 10 additional country

offices had been provide! with these facilities, and the Department expected to be( in a position to extend the facilities to a few more country centres this year.

At the recent Dominion Conference of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, the de-rating of rural reading purposes was fully discussed, and the following resolution was carried: “This conference considers that the present system of finance for roading purposes, under present traffic conditions is absolutely wrong in principle and practice and de" mauds the total de-rating of agricultural and pastoral land for roading purposes. It reaffirms »the principle that ‘the user should pay.’ It protests strongly against petrol taxation being devoted to any purpose other than road construction and maintenance and calls upon all farmers to do their utmost to obtain these objectives.” after the following amendment had been defeated: “That this conference supports the policy of de-rating for e-eneral rates only.” About a month" later, the New Zealand Counties’ Association also fully discussed this important matter, and ultimately adopted the following report drawn up by a special committee: “That the principle of total de-ratino- be not approved of but an effort be made to secure the 4d tax on petrol now paid to the Consolidated Fund when the finances of the country are m a more stable condition.”

The following table shows the fluctuations of tlic average .London prices oi the three butter-producin (r countries: — Danish 1930, 150 s per cwt; 1931, 130 s per cwt- 1932 119 s per cwt. New Zealand: 1930, ’iSDs per cwt; 1931, 114Js per cwt; 1932 103 s per cwt. Australian:’ 1930’ 128Js per cwt; 1931, llOis per cwt--1932, 99jd per cwt. The average nual price of Home-produced butter on loc-a 1 British markets has been Is load per 11, in 1929, Is 7Jd in 1930, Is ojd in 1931, and Is 4£d in 1932.