DAIRY FARMERS' DIFFICULTIES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 15747, 11 February 1922, Page 11

DAIRY FARMERS' DIFFICULTIES

COMMISSION OF ENQUIRY

From our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day.

The Government was again urged I by a number of Opposition members j lartt night to do something to assist dairy ('.'inner:-, who are in difficulties over interest on mortgages. How are you going to do it? queried the Premier, to which one of the speakers replied thai mortgagees might bo assisted in the payment of interest. The Government had helped the wool grower, wheat farmer and meat, producer, and might- extend equal assistance to dairy producers. Mr. Massey, when speaking on the Finance Bill, referred to these requests, declaring that he did hot see how any legislation could he devised to meet the. position, but ho would insert a clause in the Appropriation Bill to enable a commission to be set up to visit districts where mortgagees were in difficulties. They could go into the position and recommend what could be done. He remembered when he was first; in the farming business (lint people were quite satisfied if they got fill or 7d fer butter, but in those times land values were low. Mr. Masters: That's the trouble. Mr. Witty: The best interest was 10 per cent. Mr. Massey added that (here were many disadvantages in the old days from which modern farmers did not suffer. He did not want to see them reverting to the olrl conditions and would do all he could to avoid it. He felt. however, that they were making an unnecessary clamor about farmers being unable to pay interest. It might make people shy clear of investing money in what was the best, class of security—the broad acres.