“PLAYING THE FOOL.”

Taranaki Daily News, 27 September 1933, Page 9

“PLAYING THE FOOL.”

New Zealand had been playing the fool with such experiments as standardisation, Mr. Polson said, which foxsome time depreciated the value of her product, but that was being overcome rapidly. To-day a better product was being made and methods were being used that would enable New Zealand to place a better article on the market than before. Though Mr. Baxter seemed to have come to New Zealand with settled convictions, the speaker would offer some suggestions. He thought the way out was to put restrictions on the foreigner, who should come second. It might also be possible to fix a minimum price on both New ■ Zealand and British cheese. He recognised that cheap cheese from abroad ■ would force farmers back to milk for liquid consumption, but a minimum price for the British farmer would be helpful. He offered it merely as a suggestion. “I know it would mean control in this country and Taranaki has never been happy over control,” Mr. Polson said, “But the time has come when, we will have to submit to control or submit to something worse. It may mean that we will have to imitate Britain and pool our milk, paying out on the aggregate return for butter and cheese on an all round butterfat basis, irrespective of whether butter or cheese is manufactured from it. Meanwhile we. can make the real facts from our point of view known to Great Britain, relying on the good sense of the nation to support a system that will be. just and economic irrespective of geographic boundaries. I am satisfied that if we can come to an understanding with Britain it will be to the satisfaction of this country. We must have an understanding. She is our only market. I know Mr. Baxter holds the cards because the British Government is behind him, but in the meantime we have two years’ grace. We should take advantage of that to explore the position in the interests of New Zealand. We may regret a hasty decision.”

Mr. L. J. Rundle, chairman of the Bell Block Dairy Company, said that Taranaki had much to offer Mr. Baxter, who he trusted would benefit from Iris visit. It was realised -that there was a tremendous amount of money locked up in the dairy world, and he hoped that Mr. Baxter would be able to visit an up-to-date factory in the district. That the industry should stand still for a number of years seemed to him to be appalling. Mr. Blyde expressed the opinion that there was some hope of getting out of the difficulty by pulling together. He recognised the difficulties of the British farmer, but he thought the difficulties of the New Zealand farmer were not recognised. If they were . the position might be different. Any visitor from England was welcome to New Zealand no matter what his mission was, and he asked Mr. Baxter to take back a message of goodwill from the New Zealand farmer. More could be done by working together than by being antagonistic. Speaking on behalf of the commercial community of Taranaki, Mr. S,

E. Shaw, president of the Taranaki Chamber ofCommerce, said the problem Mr. Baxter had come to discuss was vital to New Zealand, which was almost solely a producing country. The towns were dependent on the success of the primary industries, and for that reason they were affected by and interested in the problem. He felt that a quota would mean not only stagnation but also definite retrogression. The farmers were not like a motor-car factory, which could cease work if it were over-producing. Restriction would mean a definite weakening in the calibre of the farming community. Unless a man had incentive and the ambition to see the completion of his plan he would, if he were asked to produce only a certain amount, put less effort into his farming, which would be seriously affected. They had two years to consider the position during which they might perhaps adopt a more diversified kind of farming that would counteract the effect of restrictions. He thought Mr. Baxter would return to England realising that in New Zealand Britain had a very true son of the Empire. -