Farmers Losing Revenue On Many By-Products

Wanganui Chronicle, 22 July 1950, Page 6

Farmers Losing Revenue On Many By-Products

HASTINGS, Last Night (PA).— By being forced to sell hides, pelts, tallow and bobby calf skins for manufacture and use in New Zealand at domestic prices that are lower than the export prices realised by these by-products, sheep and dairy farmers of New Zealand during the 1949-50 financial year had foregone a gross annual income amounting to £1,830,000. The farmers’ case for a review of these now that the Government has removed or reduced general consumer subsidies was contained in a statement by Mr D. L. M. Martin, research officer to Federated Farmers, circulated at a meeting of the Hawke's Bay Provincial Meat and Wool Produce Section of the executive of the federation in Hastings today. It was decided that an approach should be made to the Government to have the removed subsidies paid by producers on these by-products as these subsidies were considered a direct class tax on producers. The meeting also adopted a remit which advocated that in the event of a fall in overseas prices for New Zealand primary products, no money should be withdrawn from the Meat Stabilisation Account until such fall in prices exceeded at least 20 per cent of the present prices. A further remit which was carried was that representations should be made to the Government to have the investment of the meat and dairy industry stabilisation accounts removed from political control and the control of these pool accounts handed over to the industries concerned.