SERIOUS DANGER

Taranaki Daily News, 24 September 1938, Page 9

SERIOUS DANGER

By Telegraph—Press Association.

DEPLETED PRODUCTION farmers' many problems

scarcity of labour

Auckland, Last Night. "With war in the East, the unsettled state of Europe and the general disarrangement of trade channels, it would be a bold man who would attempt to forecast what is likely to happen to overseas prices," said Mr. H. E. Worsp, chairman of directors of the" Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company Ltd., at the annual meeting to-day. "Although we have no war in New Zealand we have our own internal troubles and two of these that affect Ihe farming community very seriously are the continued rise in costs and the scarcity of farm labour. Unsheltered Market. "While the increased costs of other producers and distributors are passed on to him the primary producer selling in an unsheltered market is unable to do so," added Mr. Worsp. 'The margin which overseas prices allow him on his produce cannot be made sts .»le by any act.ion he is able to take., II advancing costs or failing prices wipt out this margin he works at a loss, and that is a prospect that is being made disagreeably real by the increase of taxation, heavier transport costs, dearer imports and the infpossibility of procuring competent farm labour even at high wages. "if the primary producer is to be handicapped by continually increasing costs and insufficient labour he cainnot maintain his production or compete at a price to meet the world's markets," he added. "Unless there is a rise in prices overseas, which at the moment does not seem likely, then the logical result must be that all but the most fertile land will go out of production and the national income will be so depleted that of necessity the standard of living in New Zealand will be consideraibly lowered."