FAT EWE PRICES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 December 1938, Page 6

FAT EWE PRICES

PROPOSED EQUALISATION FUND. PROBLEMS OF HILL COUNTRY PRODUCERS. (To the Editor.) Sir, —Today the fat ewe price is 9s to 10s a head for a ewe which cost last February 25s to 27s Gd. This heavy loss must be borne by the fat lamb raiser, who in turn must offset some of his loss by buying this year at a low figure from the hill country producer of ewes, who is in an ill position to suffer further diminution of income. The problem is Dominion-wide, and is aggravated by the losses in northern districts through facial jaundice. Annually we kill more than 3.000.000 ewes and export about 800,000, and now we are foolish enough to allow the export price of 10s a head to rule the internal price, and threaten us with financial disaster. A levy of 4d an export carcase on 10.000,000 freight carcases, levied by ■ the farmers on themselves would raise £166,000, sufficient to increase the fat ewe price by 4s a head and stabilise it round 14s to 15s a head. This is a variation of the Patterson scheme, so sue-1 cessful in the dairying industry in NewSouth Wales 12 years ago. out of which has grown the Commonwealth equalisation or stabilisation scheme which was later adopted there. Some such scheme, or variation of it, iS long overdue, and should be proceeded with immediately. Improvement of the fat ewe export price will improve the price of other fat ewes accordingly. as well as of the millions of breeding ewes soon to be sold. I am. ' etc, L L. T. DANIELL.