Forum Archive Index - September 2003

[Stephen Judd <sljudd@paradise.net.nz>]

Quoting Duncan MacGregor <d-m_macgregor@xtra.co.nz>:

> It would be a great boost for the market If It ever happens. It wont
> happen of coarse we only fool ourselves hoping It will. 

> The reason It will never happen Is It requires a level playing field to
> make
> It work. The playing field Is anything but level, there are people In
> some
> countries where slave labour Is the norm. Why should we wreck our
> market by Importing from them, and at the same time pay the dole to
> those
> that lose there jobs because of It.

In our particular case, it's too late. We already have, and we already do.

> Why should the British Ruin there
> farmers by allowing NZ to under sell them. The farmers In Britain have
> roughly the same arable acreage as Nz, but out produces NZ by more than
> double. The farms over there cost more there expenses are higher and on
> top of that the climate conditions are against them competing. Free
> trade means, we all buy at the lowest price, but that also means work
> for
> the lowest price as well.

Not necessarily. Some processes don't have labour as the most significant cost.
Eg the price for NZ produced steel has as much or more to do with the economics
of getting it out of black sand than the cost of NZ labour.

> The farmer next door was bleating In my ear
> about pom farmers So I decided to take It out on you lot.

It's the European and American taxpayers who suffer most in the end. It's just
possible they may wake up eventually...

Stephen

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