AUCKLAND FARMERS CONFER

Taranaki Daily News, 23 May 1934, Page 12

AUCKLAND FARMERS CONFER

NEW ZEALAND’S TRADE PROBLEMS FIGHT FOR UNRESTRICTED ENTRY. By Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, May 22. “To-day we are fighting for the unrestricted entry of our produce „ into Britain in return for the lowering of and finally the total abolition of protective tariffs on British goods,” said Mr. H. O. Mellsop in his presidential address to the Auckland provincial conference of the Farmers’ Union to-day. “These measures will help at least 94 per cent, of the population. Either costs must be lowered by a total derating of farm lands, the abolition of tariffs on British goods, the lowering of interest, and a total readjustment of mortgages, giving the same consideration to the equity of the mortgagor as to the mortgagee, or our prices must be artificially eased up to the level of our present artificially-raised costs.” Mr. Mellsop also said that there should be an investigation of the high costs of shipping from the North to the South Islands. For example, lemons sold in the north at 6d per dozen cost 4s and 5s a dozen in the South Island, and lemons from Italy were successfully competing with our own.