A MINIMUM PRICE FOR PRODUCE.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4681, 23 August 1899, Page 3

A MINIMUM PRICE FOR PRODUCE.

DISCUSSION AT THE TUAPEKA AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. At the annual meeting of the Tuapeka Agricultural Society last week Mr Fraser moved tbe following motion : — " That the Tuapeka Agricultural Society resolve to ask the Premier to introduce legislation on the same lines as the Conciliation and Arbi? tration Act to enable the farmers' organisations to fix yearly a minimum paying price for farm produce, in the same manner as prices are now fixed by the Conciliation and Arbitration Court lor the Labor Unions and Industrial Associations in the towns." In order to give the members of the Society an opportunity of studying the motion he had had it published in the Tuapeka Times and he hoped they had given it the attention which the importance of the subject merited. It asked than farmers should be placed on the same footing as members of trades unions were, that is that farmers should get their affairs regulated by legislation, just as matters affecting the prices of labor were now regulated between Industrial Associations by the Conciliation aud Arbitration Courts. When the Conciliation and Arbitration Act had been introduced into Parliament many people said nothing could be done by such legislation. But it was now recognised as tbe best legislation that had been passed in any country for those employed in industrial pursuits. They found that every trade had its organisation for the settlement of disputes, and by that means they had brought about a better feeling between employers and employed and had the satisfaction of providing a solution of difficulties as they arose. What occurred to him was that farmers should demand to be placed in a similar position. They knew that though the farmers were the largest producers in the colony they had no voice in regulating the prices they got for their produce. He asked them if in the town of Lawrence the farmers of the district or their organisation were ever consulted as to what their prices should be? The list published in the Tuapeka Times gave every week the prices of the various articles of produce, retail and wholesale. Were any of them ever consulted as to what these prices should be? It appeared strange to him,- being such a numerou* class, that they should have no voles in regulating the prices for their own produce. There was a system of auction sales in Dunedin where a few farmers sell farm produce, A good deal of th.c grain sent ' to those sales was not first-class grain, but it happened that the seller wanted to raise a few pounds and was in consequence forced to put his grain in there. The system worked very materially against the farmers as a clbbs for the prices ruling there regulated the pripes all over the country. It was time that farmers took this question seriously and endeavored to make some improvement in the existing system. He also called attention to the price of oaten sheaves and chaff in Lawrence, which was £1 10s per ton. He had figured out how much the farmer made out of a ton of sheaves at such a price. Plenty of land only produced one ton or a lon and a-half to the acre and other laud even much less. That meant at present prioes that they were simply working for nothing. He had put down the carting to Lawrence at 5s j horse feed and wear and tare in connection with carting would cost another ss ; ploughing the land 7s per acre; seed, 7s 6d per acre; harvesting, 6s 6d; leading in, ss; rates and taxes, 6s ; bringing the whole cost up to £2 2s, which showed a loss of 12s per acre. That meant that farmers were working for other people and would continue to do so until they had some voice in the regulation of prioea for produoe. Seeing that the townspeople had got legislation to benefit them it was their duty as settlers to gefc legislation passed to benefit them. A Bill had jußt been brought into the House with the object of securing a minimum rate of wages for boy and girl apprentices, who had up to the present been sweated for the benefit of manufacturers and others. And ao it was ; every class in the qommunity except the farmers was looked after, because they took an active in- . terest in their own affairs and took advantage of every opportunity to push their own interests. He had framed his resolution and submitted it to them for their consideration, and he believed it would be wise for them to pass it because it would create some interest throughout the country. Land settlement was ft good thing, but the settlers

placed on the land now knew that their produce could be sold dt such prices that they could not look with any degree of certainty to the future, When prices carae down they did not know what to do. But if his resolution had the force of law behind it they would be in a positioD to know what prices they could expect for their grain and other produce. The question then suggested itself what would they do with their surplus produce. He saw that bacon and ham were quoted a.l> lOd and Is and it struck i him that it wouid pay them all to put their surplus produce into bacon and ham. The solution would be that it should be exported to countries that wanted produce, at exporters' risk. Why should they sell here at a loss ? They must take a stand and see that their condition was improved. He hoped the motion would be favorably received, as he considered it his duty to lay ib before them Mr Jno, Smith, in seconding the motion, said it raised a very wide question. He thought there was no disputing the fact that farmers were selling at ruinous prices. As prices stood ( they would be better never to produce train. Something should be certainly one. but he thought, at the same iime, it was a very wide question to ask Parliamen to legislate on. He thought farmers should be more united and more active in matters affecting their collective interests than they were at present. He believed the disabilities they labored uuder were in a very large measure due to their want of energetic and united action. Ho looked on the Dunedin sales as the greatest curse to the farmers that was ever invented. He seconded the motion and thought they wanted something of the kind, but in what way they were going to arrive at that something was more than he could say. He instanced, as showing the existing state of thmgß, that while prime wheat was 2s 6d por bushel flour was £7 a ton. The price of oats was ruination to the farmers, even at Is 3d, as it could not under any circumstances be produced at such a price. If it were not for sheep he did not know"*at the present what would become of farmers. The Chairman said the question was a very wide one and one that affected them all. In considering such a question it should not be forgotten that prices had always been regulated by supply and demand. The matter was one that suggested a good deal of thought. He might also say that the agricultural statistics were very misleading and were no guide to the farmers in shaping their decision regard" \ng tbe cropping of their lands. Last year hundreds of farmers were of opinion that the price of wheat would touch a much higher figure than ib did. the fact was they were deceived by the official statistics. One of the moat splendid resources of the colony to-day was the frozen meat market, and he believed that the present depression in the price of grain had been brought about beoause the previous year prices of grain were high and farmers neglected sheep and concentrated their attention on grain. There were nearly half a million sheep more in the South Island than there .were last 3'ear. It was nearly always the case that when sheep were at a high paying point farmers turned their attention to grain growing, instead of regulating their farming on a mixed principle. He thought they should adjourn the further discussion of the motion to the next monthly meet? ing of the Society. The chairman's suggestion was agreed to by the meeting and the discussion was accordingly adjourned.