COMMUNIST EXPERIMENT

Taranaki Daily News, 27 April 1934, Page 7

COMMUNIST EXPERIMENT

DAIRY EQUALISATION PLAN CONDEMNATION BY PREMIER OPERATION IN AUSTRALIA ARTIFICIAL PRICE-RAISNG : ' By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. Sydney, April 26. The Premier of South Australia, Mr. R. L, Butler, condemning the Commonwealth dairy produce equalisation plan, which becomes operative next week, described it as the greatest experiment .. * Communism had attempted in Australia. The aim was to raise prices by artificial means, he said. Some self-appoint-ed board would take control of the production, manufacture, distribution and sale of butter. Producers would be paid fixed prices, competition would be eliminated and forward selling, which was the very essence of business, would be abolished, because all butter would be sold on consignment. Other States would pay Queensland, which sponsored the plan, about £600,000 a year in order to bolster up its dairying industry, just as other states were already doing in regard to the sugar industry. Mr. Butler added that most of the difficulties were due to .he Paterson scheme, and it was the attitude of the Commonwealth and certain States on such proposals that fed the flames of secession.