PRICE FIXING.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LX, Issue 16949, 9 April 1917, Page 2

PRICE FIXING.

On the-,scene now appears the .Food Controller, Lord Devonport. He proceeds to imitate the example ox the Army and ta fore© Mi-. Prothero to fix a price for various commodities; It ;s the old story over again of industry attempting Jiarp practice with the agrarian community. What do they say in effect?, "Pray understand, you agrarians, there shall be a limitless price for our. industrial output, feeding stuffs, artificial manures, etc., but you are under-dogs, and less capable than ourselves; you shall have a fixed price placed upon your finished products. Moreover, we shall very likely supply you with artificial manures below standard and below grade, while you aie paying the price of the higher grades, and you shall*have no redress; whereas, if you supply milk to the industrial community containing less than the legal standard of butter-fat, we shall put you in prison." Mr. Prothero now steps into the arena, hailed by all as an agricultural erpert. There is no such thing as an agricultural expert. No one man can know all the problems involved in agriculture. How, then, can he be an expert? /He may be proficient in one branch, or two, but not more. The man who knows all has yet to be born. And what does our expert say ? He tells us we are like a beleaguered city. If that is true, why did he make the remark ? We have it from Sir John Jellicoe that the submarine menace is likely to become more accurate.; That involves less food supplies from abroad. That means more production at home. Why then does the expert allow 30,000 men to be removed? The truth is that he has not the courage to stand up for the Department over which he presides*, nor to insist on an adequate supply of labour being preserved to ensure the production of home-grown food-stuffs.