VOICE OE THE PEOPLE

Taranaki Daily News, 20 April 1935, Page 9

VOICE OE THE PEOPLE

VIEWS ON CURRENT TOPICS VAGARIES OF THE BULL MARKET. DID INFORMATION LEAK OUT? (To the Editor.) Sir,—A short time ago “Cocky” and others called attention to the rise in the prices paid by freezing works for bulls, and alleged that a party or parties had secured information of the contemplated advance prior to its announcement. Acting on this advice bulls were bought from farmers at the old low rate, and held until the increased price came into operation. As was pointed out farmers need every pound that can be secured, and the leakage of this knowledge to a few. individuals was the cause of a grave injustice to' those who sold. Of course, it will be argued that a man is entitled to any profit he can, obtain by the exercise of his business acumen, This is quite true, but if .information was imparted to, and secured by certain parties, then it became a certainty and not business acumen, and a jury might even hesitate to class such a deal as strictly honest. No doubt the Minister of Agriculture was obliged to impose the embargo, which resulted in the poverty prices, but when circumstances permitted its withdrawal, every precaution should have been taken that the announcement was made, simultaneously in every centre of the Dominion, and any official found guilty of giving away news previous to its general dissemination should meet with instant dismissal. Following upon the rise in prices and the bad feeling caused by the alleged operations, there has been distinctly noticeable a cramping of the market by the deliberate abstention from competition by representatives of freezing firms. Friction has been plainly apparent amongst buyers, and sellers been penalised. A free and unhampered market is what farmers are fully entitled to, and it is to be hoped that public attention having been drawn to it, such will again be speedily secured.—l am, etc., GEO. GIBSON. Rahotu, April 18.

CHEESE MARKET ANOMALY. f 4 ' -7, (To the Editor.) Sir,—For 14 years I have been a supplier to a dairy factory. In recent years I have been in the habit of buying approximately 100 pounds of their 'cheese per annum. Imagine my surprise when recently, on ordering my usual 'lO pounds, I was intormed there was none to sell to anybody local. Now, sir, with ail the talk of over-production and tfie necessity of having to open up new markets to get rid of our surplus cheese, butter, etc., one can readily begin to understand why we cannot sell on the world’s markets when the factories cannot even keep their own suppliers •in cheese. In the case of the factory I am writing about you cannot buy any of its cheese in the large town in which if is situated. I have often tried to point ..out to the grocers in that town that it is their common duty to sell the local cheese? As I understand the position there •is not much difference in first class, cheese, and it is only a matter of age to satisfy the individual palate. If cheese is brought into this particular town from a hundred miles or so away, and this is really the case, then either the supplier or the purchaser of that cheese must necessarily have to pay more. - There is no begging the question that secretaries in the larger factories, get a .handsome salary, and I think it is part of their job to at least get their article - on to the local market, thereby showing the business acumen for which they are paid. It is uneconomic to have cheese wandering all over New Zealand to different local markets other than its own. We have a Transport Board to prevent transport overlapping, and boards at the presept time. I know are anathema to the average thinking citizen, but a position which I have endeavoured to show exists warrants at least one more boardhonorary, of course.—l am, etc., CONSTRUCTIVE. Tlitutawa, April 17. EGMONT SHOW AWARDS. • i (To the Editor.) Sir,—ln a recent issue of the Daily News the results of. the porker classes from the -Egmont A. and P. show appeared, judged at Smithfield. As a farmer and one interested in the pig industry of New Zealand generally, I would deem it a "favour if the secretary of the Egmont A. and P. Association would publish full details of the judging on the hopf at the show last November, naming the particular breeds, or crosses concerned, and further details of the Smithfield results, again mentioning the various breeds or crosses and how they fared. This would only be fair to the various exhibitors, and would also enlighten farmers as to the most suitable breed or cross-breed to suit the requirements of our consumers, who after, all are the people we miist cater for.—l am, etc., INTERESTED. Stratford, April 17. ■ • JUSTICES AT INGLEWOOD. (To the Editor.) <. Sir,—At the annual meeting of the Chamber of Commerce held at Inglewood it was decided that a request be made the Department of Justice for the . appointment of a further number of Justices of the Peace. I think, that if the Justices that have been appointed were used a little more it would be “better.. I for one would attend at all times if called upon.—l am, etc.,, WILLIAM DEAN. Inglewood, April 17.