NEW ZEALAND FARMER

Waikato Times, Volume 113, Issue 18928, 24 April 1933, Page 11

NEW ZEALAND FARMER

ASPERSED IN BRITAIN. A PROMPT DEFENCE. Mr H. T. B.'Drew, of the New. Zealand House staff, London, in a letter to the Oldham Evening Chronicle, enters the lists in defence of the New Zealand farmer against the aspersions of a Mr Edward Baker, who, in a political speech made some rather uncomplimentary remarks regarding the producers of this Dominion. Mr Drew wrote: —

“Even though his speech was a political one, Mr Edward Baker should not have been as unfair as lie was in his references to New Zealand in his speech at a meeting of the Oldham Liberals last week. He -said: ‘Look at the plight of the British farmer! New Zealand. . . . had said “Now for it, let us flood the English market." The British farmer had got it in the neck more than anyone else within the past twelve months as the result of the Ottawa tariffs.'

This Is yery unfair to the New Zealand farmer. The latter has 'been •having a mu Oh worse time than the English farmer! He has built up his .market in this country and sells his butter, lamb, and cheese almost exclusively here. Is that wrong? Had he looked to European, or American, or Eastern markets, whould h 8 not have had to buy from these countries? Had he done so' there would have been no preferences of 25 per cent, for •British manufactures as there are today on almost all New Zealand purchases from foreign countries, with free entry for almost all British manufactures —certainly of those that go there from Lancashire. “•Mr Baker smiles, and says: ’Yes, but New Zealand’s purchases do not really count, she has such a small population—l,soo,ooo." New Zealand may have a small population but jf he looks up his Board of Trade returns he will see that New Zealand purchased more British manufactures last year than 'Denmark, Russia, China, Japan, Italy, Belgium, nearly as much as Germany and Holland, and as much as Argentina! All these are countries with many times New Zealand's population. Is not the New Zealand farmer worthy of some consideration here, especially In a manufacturing area, If he buys so much from Britain? , “l said the. New Zealand farmer was having a'bad His butter Is selling as low as iOcl a pound and his cheese at 6d a pound. British butter Is bringing is 8d a pound, and cheese over Is, and yet the New Zealand farmer’s. land Is higher priced, his labour Is dearer and he is 13,000 miles from this market. Why he is sending ever more than ever is in an endeavour to make quantity of output balance the lowness of the prices he receives. He does not desire to supplant home produce. He asks only that his produce should be bought here In preference to foreign.* I ask Mr‘Baker how much British butter he buys at the price at which it stands, how much British cheese, and how much English lamb? “There is this point also tOirerhember that the New Zealand farmer pays as heavy overhead charges in the shape of war taxes >as the English farmer. How much does the Danish or Russian or Argentine farmer pay In this way? Nothing. "Air Baker cannot have it both ways. If the New Zealand farmer has to look to other countries to buy his produce he has to expect to buy from those countries. To-day almost the whole of every pound sterling the New 'Zealand farmer takes for his produce here he pays hack for manufactures, or Interest on the money he has borrowed for British machinery and other development equipment in the past. To-day English housewives are paying 3d and 4d a pound more for Danish butter, and the Dane .docs not spend anything like as much with England in return as the New Zealander. The British Medical Research Council has declared that New Zealand butter is of the highest quality, and at this time of the year probably contains greater food value than that of Northern hemispheres. There is plenty of room for New Zealand produce here if foreign purchases are cut out, and plenty of room for English produce, too."