BLACK TREACHERY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 76, Issue 163, 13 July 1933, Page 10

BLACK TREACHERY

MORE MEN ON THE LAND WITHOUT A SURE MARKET. LONDON, July 11. Tn the House of Commons, Major Elliot (Minister of Agriculture), in presenting the Agricultural Department’s estimates, said that only 1100 men had settled on the land in the last six years. It would be treachery both to settlers and to those already farming to place more men on tho land when there was not a sure market for their produce. He wondered whether the House realised how tremendous and rutlxless was the experiment on which the United States had launched last week. A tax of 30 cents per bushel, equal to about 10s a quarter, had been imposed on wheat on top of th e existing tax of 42 cents a bushel. The loar had already gone up in New York by 30 per cent. A further 10 per cent, increase was expected. The value of Britain’s total wheat supplies was £42,900,000, of which the Home supply represented £6,900,000. Under the Wheat Quota Act. British growers had received £2,500,000. The scheme had worked out with smoothness and certainty and had now become part of the agricultural machinery of tho country. The latest move of tho British Government in the effort to improve conditions for ihe farmers of the United Kingdom follows the Agricultural Marketing Bill which was introduced in the House of Commons last March. This provided for the investing of produce boards with far-reaching powers of control, and invited the farmers to approve the handing over to these boards of authority over the marketing of their goods. Prices, terms, dates of delivery, and in some instances the rights to produce at all for certain markets were included in the things which the boards might determine. The action followed upon overtures by two hundred members of Parliament representing rural constituencies, who asked for “immediate action to save British farmers.” The Government put into operation its emergency plans at the end of last year. Announcing. those, Major Elliot declared that agriculture must be saved, and that the lation had decided to save the farmers even at the cost of some risk to other industries. Tho Government brought about, an emergency arrangement for tho marketing of meat, and followed this up with a plan for the control of marketing wilhE, fhc