OUTSIDE MARKETS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19885, 11 March 1939, Page 14

OUTSIDE MARKETS

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING POWER OF THE EMPIRE Collective bargaining by using the power of the whole Empire to force open outside markets was advocated by Mr. A. P. O'Shea, Dominion secretary of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, speaking at a field day !at Arlington station, Waipukurau. "It is a new idea, but, I feel, a sound one," he said. "The only way to open markets lies in utilising the combined bargaining power of our Empire as a whole. We must realise that we have not an ever-expanding market within the Empire, tout toy the means I have outlined we can expand into other markets. This will make the British Minister of Agriculture utiles manager for Empire products." "One Big Union" Mr. O'Shea stressed the need for one .big union, with a sheep board at the head of sheep interests and the Dairy Boaj'd to control dairying, the whole thing to be financed by a levy on produce. He envisaged a world-wide organisation ultimately, like the International Labour Organl- - for there was need, first for a strong farming body in New Zealand, secondly In the Empire, and thirdly in the world. "We must organise our markets and produce," he said. "The British Government has made it plain that it wants every Empire country to regulate its produce, like New Zealand is doing, with boards similar to our Meat Board in Britain." Lesson of Import Restrictions Explaining his ideas in an interview alter his address, Mr. O'Shea pointed out that the only alternative :o the present Government in Britain was a Labour Government, and Labour had said it was determined to deal with imports only by import boards. "We have seen how satisfactory this is by the present import restrictions scheme in this country,' he said. "That should toe a lesson to us that the other idea is preferable." Several hundred farmers from all over Central Hawke's Bay attended the field day, which was opened toy the Leader 'of the Opposition, the Hon. A. Hamilton.