FARMER’S WAY OUT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 75, Issue 12, 15 January 1932, Page 5

FARMER’S WAY OUT

WHAT MIGHT BE DONE REVISION OF AWARDS INTEREST RATE REDUCTION. Having entered 1932 the primary and i secondary producers of New Zealand . find themselves in the position of a , man who has crossed the threshhold s and opened the door of a darkened , room. Somewhere on the wall there . is a switch that will turn on the light. Who knows the position of that switch, and who can find it without stumbling? : In the recent general election campaign much was said concerning the removal of “irksome restrictions upon in- ; dustry.” i What restrictions will be removed to , assist the farmer and give him the light that will enable him to And his way out t of difficulty? L “Modification of awards, and adjust- > ment of wages will help a little,” said the manager of a Canterbury stock and • station firm to a “Christchurch Times” representative, “but the cry of the farmer is for a reduction in interest . charges. That is the root of the prob- , lem.” “Must Be Revaluation.” He turned to a heavy file of corres- “ pondence and let the letters fall in a 1 shower from his hand. “These,” he said, “are from farmers in all parts of Canterbury. Everyone of them is a re--1 quest for a reduction in interest. The ' farmer docs not want reduced wages 1 for his men, nor adjustments in the ■ hours and conditions of labour. That won’t help him much. His real assist- ' ance will come from a reduction in the ’ standing charges that have to be met, revaluation of his land and reduced 1 rates of interest. “The lower prices have come to stay, The capital value of the land on the basis of the high prices of production has vanished. It does not exist. There must be revaluation to avoid the painful process of men being forced off the land. Mortgagees have not yer realised that they hold security over capital that has evaporated. Fallen commodity prices have made it impossible for the present rates of interest to be met. The fact stands out, and must be faced. The leaders of the country must square up to the position. ” Year of Big Changes. These views were endorsed in the Public Trust Office, where it was prophesied that 1932 would be a year of big changes. “Further limitation of the spending power of the people must be avoided,” said a company manager who reviewed the position from the point of view of the secondary industries. “I feel sure that one of the first steps of the new Government will be directed towards the Arbitration Court. Wages in present well established industries should not be touched, but elasticity should be provided to enable the foundation of new industries that will absorb labour. The selection of the personnel of a commission to investigate this matter should be made without thought of political colour. The effects of political prejudice are still apparent in the work of some of the commissions previously appointed in the country. A search should be made for the free thinkers at the head of industry, and let them say what is to be done. “The building industry is stable, and, if the people could be given the confidence that comes of security of employment, the trade and all its allied trades would immediately become busy. ’ ’ How to Modify Awards. Several prominent representatives of various branches of industry and business were asked in the course of an interview to indicate in precise terms where existing awards of the Court of Arbitration might be modified. In each case the answer was that it was a matter for thorough investigation and consideration by a qualified commission. None of the representatives approached cared to state a case for modification of conditions of work or wages, as now established. Although helpful improvements to awards were not obvious they felt that patient examination and exploration of the whole field of production and industry would reveal weaknesses which could be strengthened by judicious amendment. All were unamimous in saying that an equitable wage standard had been achieved when the 10 per cent, reduction in award rates was effected last winter. One employer of a large staff closed the interview with the observation that he could not, in clear conscience, go to his men, who were pushing barrows and lumping heavy loads, and ask them to accept a further wage cut.