PRIMARY PRODUCERS

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 79, Issue 7136, 23 November 1949, Page 10

PRIMARY PRODUCERS

PILLAGED TO BENEFIT OTHERS SERIOUS RESULTS ON FARMING LIKELY “This pillage of the producers’ income must have serious repercussions on the maintenance and fertility of the farm lands of the Dominion,” commented Mr Broadfoot, M.P., speaking to a large assembly of farmers at Mahoenui, recently. To impose socialism on the people of this Dominion, the socialist robbed one section to benefit others less deserving—and the victim was the primary producer, commented Mr Broadfoot. Since the Government took control of marketing it had robbed him of much of his income, and since the Land Sales legislation has operated it had robbed him of his hard-earned capital. By compelling the producer to supply each year produce to the local consumer at prices he had been robbed during 1947-48 of £660,000 in respect of butter, £llB,OOO with cheese, £320,000 with bobby calf skins, £1,000,000 with hides, £1,250,000 with tallow, £15,000 with pelts and sheepskins, and £350,000 with meat by-products, making a total of £3,848,000. With the drop in prices overseas of some of these commodities last year’s pillaging had totalled just on £3,000,000. Then in 1944 and subsequent' years, the Government had misappropriated the bulk payment of £35,000,000 paid by the British Government to compensate the farmers for the low price at which the products were sold. “Whatever Mr Nash and his socialists may state, that money belonged rightfully to the primary producer,” said Mr Broadfoot. Millions—the total now approximated £4s,ooo,ooo—had been diverted to the Stabilisation Accounts, and were divorced from their real owners —and they could not be touched by the producers without the Government’s consent. Under the Land Sales legislation the property of the farmer was confiscated at 1942 value—-well below the cost of development—and he was paid out in money which in purchasing power was worth about 7s in the £. Then, whilst the farmer might feel very differently about this aspect, bulk sales to Britain had resulted in selling cheaply to her and buying dearly from her at inflated prices. “Socialism just doesn’t pay, and for the farmer under a socialist Government which cares not one whit for him . . . well, you can see what happens,” said Mr Broadfoot.