TURNIP SEED PRICES

Southland Times, Issue 24593, 15 November 1941, Page 8

TURNIP SEED PRICES

PROTEST BY FARMERS’ UNION “Farmers have been accused of being growlers, but I think they are justified in growling when this sort of thing occurs,” stated the Southland provincial president of the Farmers’ Union (Mr E. A. Cameron) when commenting on the disparity between the price paid to farmers for the production of turnip seed and the cost charged in purchasing it back from the firms, at a meeting of the Gore sub-executive of the union yesterday. Mr Cameron said that the position of the growing of turnip seed in Southland was not very satisfactory from the farmers’ point of view. As a patriotic effort farmers had contracted to grow certain lines on the basis of lOd per lb machine dressed. Naturally there had been some consternation when it was found that the retail price was to be 4/- per lb, and questions had been asked about where the balance of the money was going. “On investigation it was found that the costings concerning the contracts were confidential and could not be disclosed,” Mr Cam-

eron said. “Certain information, however, received from the Director of Primary Production revealed that the farmer received lOd per lb for his machine-dressed seed, 2/2 per lb was allowed for various services concerning the contracts, and 1/- per lb was allowed for the retail merchants.

FARMERS’ SMALL SHARE ’“lf these particulars had been made known earlier I am of the opinion that not 10 per cent, of the present contracts would have been entered into, Mr Cameron said. “According to information I have received a total of 59,0001 b of seed was produced in Otago and Southland last season. We can only deduce this: that covering the whole production the farmers received £2375, various contracting _ costs amounted to £6175, and the retail service received £2850. If these figures are incorrect, or are misleading in any way, I would be glad to have them challenged, as I have no desire to misrepresent any tiling. Without divulging confidences I think I can say that 4d per lb was allowed to cover losses on previous contracts. This may be justifiable, but there appears to be no such provision made to cover similar losses by individual farmers. “We are assured that all costs of the contracts have been passed by the Price Fixation Tribunal,” said Mr Cameron. “Its estimate of the farmers’ worth compared with other sections of the community is apparently pretty low. We have been assured that, although the contract price for the coming season is still lOd per lb, yet there is an oral promise that the grower will receive more. This is not too good a foundation on which to build a new industry. We are entitled to expect co-operation among all sections of the community at the present time and it is to be regretted that if what promises to be a most valuable industry for the Dominion is to be ruined on account of unbalanced arrangements at the beginning.”

DISPARITY TOO GREAT The chairman (Mr Henry Smith) said that the disparity between the amount paid to the farmer for producing the seed and what he had to pay to purchase it was too great. Mr Cameron said that Mr R. B. Tennent, Director of Primary Production, would be in Southland next week, and he suggested that a round-table discussion among the growers, merchants and Mr Tennent should be arranged. After further discussion it was decided that Messrs Cameron and E. W. Stevens endeavour to see Mr Tennent next week.