FARMERS' TOUR

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 49, Issue 199, 8 June 1929, Page 2

FARMERS' TOUR

THE TARANAKI VISITORS.

METHVEN FARMS INSPECTED. Members of the South Taranaki farmers' party which has been touring Southland during the last week, and which arrived in Ash burton yesterday morning were, after a day in the County, loud in the appreciation of the wonderful opportunities, the excellent grain country and the quality of the stock', so characteristic of the Ashburton district.

A visit was paid in the morning to Mr H. F. Nicoll's racing stables, at Wakanui, and after luncheon, the party was taken to different parts of the County where they saw some of the best flocks of ewes, the grain areas and other items of interest in the County. The first visit was made to Mr W. W. Goodwin's (Lauriston) where the party inspected the pens of ewe lambs which secured first prize in the Methyen Flock Ewe Competition. Mr R. J. S. Wilson (president of the Methyen branch of the Farmers' Union) extended a greeting to the visitors. One of the features of the district, he said, was that farming was earned on at about 1000 feet above sea level. He detailed the programme for the remainder of the afternoon. Mr J. Watson (president of the Methven Agricultural and Pastoral Association) also greeted the party. Some years ago, a flock ewe competition was instituted by the Methven Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and the Ashburton Association had commenced one last" year, embracing the whole County. The flock unjder inspection was that which won the Methyen competition and Mr Goodwin deserved credit for his success. The Ashburton competition would go on and do good work for the County. Mr E. J. Betts (president of the Taranaki Farmers' Union) thanked the speakers for their remarks and for the welcome extended to them. Mr Goodwin said the flock was bred from Vulcan ewes, the rams being local ones. He hoped the benefit derived from their tour would be everlasting. Mr A. L. Campbell (chairman of the Eltham County Council) congratulated Mr Goodwin on his flock.

Cheers were then given both for the visitors and their hosts.

A short run took the party to Mr L. White's, Barrhill, where the members inspected a varied assortment of agricultural implements and farm machinery. ' A run of njne miles saw the visitors at Mr R. J. Low's residence at Marawhiti, where they manifested keen interest in his flocks, which comprised Border and English Xeicesters, Southdowns and Corriediales and a pen of imported Australian merinos. Mr Low was complimented on his stock and was given three cheers before the party left for Methven, where the members were entertained at afternoon tea by the Methven branch of the Farmers' Union and A. and P. Association.

When tea had been partaken of, Mr F. G. Evans (president of the Ashburton Farmers' Union) introduced Messrs F. W. Ruddenklau and H. Maginness. Mr Ruddenklau, on behalf of the residents of Methven, accorded the visitors a hearty welcome. Mr Magiuness said they were in the midst of the best agricultural land in New Zealand, also practically in the granary of the Dominion. There was a feeling that they were paying too much for wheat. (Laughter). Mr Maginness jocularly remarked that there was a, feeling that the South Island farmers were robbing the North Island men. The latter were certainly being robber, but not by the poor farmers.

Mr D. Kemp said he was sure the' visitors had never seen better grain country, nor better sheep than what had been seen in the Methven district that afternoon. With regard to the hospitality they had received since leaving Taranaki, he was sure "there were no growlers." Mr R. J. Dalton said he would not refer to the wheat question, as too much had already been said, but. New Zealand should be self-contained. There was no good in talking of one's district unless there were figures to back up the statements. During the last 12 months, the following stock and oroduce had been railed from Methven:—loß4 cattle, 116,752 sheep, 139,468 sacks of wheat (approximately half a million bushels), 3079 bales of wool and 100 tons of butter. If, said Mr Daßon, we give up our wheat growing, we will take on dairying and be competitors on the butter market with Taranaki. If you do not grow your food here you will have to pay for it elsewhere. What is grown on the farm will cost less than if it had to be imported. The policy of being self-contained must commend itself. As farmers, we must produce wheat under sheltered conditions. I the Government is prepared to rai

duty, we will be prepared to at world's parity. He was sur' \ visits would tend to improve \ ■; derstanding and relationship 1 sv, the different provinces. Year? „ .. this district was cut up and w '{ ±. >- cess. There was no place in New land better than Methven that would lend itself to land-settlement. The visitors were entertained at tea m the Tancred Street Hall by the Ashburton A. and P. Association and the Farmers' Union, the president of the Farmers' ~b±. : on (Mr F. O. Eyans) presiding ov< r & attendance of over 200 people. The chairman said that during the last three weeks it had been his rjrivilege to visit Taranaki and meet many of the pioneers who had toiled so hard to bring that province to the state of cultivation it now enjoyed. He was l sure the residents deserved all they received. In Taranaki were some of the finest dairy herds in the Dominion, and throughout the district were many dairies—hundreds, lie had thought. (Laughter.) It would he a great thing for wheat-growers to "chuck it up" and go in for dairying, he lightly remarked. They were meeting men and women from Taranaki who knew their business thoroughly, and who could produce good dairy cheques and hightest herds. Continuing, Mr Evans said' he did not want to touch on the wheat question—(Laughter)—but he would be failing in his duty if he did not. It was not the wheat-grower they wanted to get at, but the difference between the grower and the consumer. He was pleased to have met the visitors, and hoped that an ( excursion might be arranged from Canterbury to Taranaki. Mr J. Bland (president of the Ash-

burton A. and (P, Association) endorsed the chairman's remarks. The farmers, he said, were the principal men in the colony. Take Ashburton, for instance, Situated on the plains, and with no waterfront, where would it be without the farmers? He agreed that the exchange, of visits of this nature were beneficial. As in the words of tiie refrain, "The more we are together," then the happier they would be. Mr E. J. Betts (president of the Soutli Taranaki Farmers' Union) thanked the speakers for their kind Avoids and for the welcome extended them. In connection with the Wheat Pool, he had come to the conclusion that they had been growling at each other. But now they were to forget and shake hands. I Mr E. K. Cameron (Provincial Secretary of the South Taranaki Farmers' ! Union) said the travellers wore nearing jthe end of a successful tour, which had been a success from every point of view. The Railway Department, .especially, were carrying on a great work for the advancement of the comjmunity as a whole. As the outcome of these tours a better feeling would ( be engendered between one district and another, and also between the town and the country. If they could bring j about a state of orderliness between 'the town and the country they would be more self-contained. There was 'everything in this land that was I needed for the prosperity of the town j and country residents. When the 1 younger members of the party returned 'home after an instructive trip, and also after having seen the beautiful homesteads in this County, they would be more, bent on remaining on the land. Mr Cameron likened the members of the party to ambassadors, imparting their knowledge to their guests and learning from them something to take back. He had been impressed by the solidity of the farming community, notably the beautiful homesteads in the County. The farmer in the South Island did more to make his home attractive than was generally the case in the North Island This was accounted for by the fact that, pn the average, the holdings in the South were larger, and consequently the owner could devote more of his land to the improvement of its appearance. If more plantations were planted it would tend to increase the productivity of the land. There was a closer settlement in Taranaki and more farms on the road than in the bouth Island. From inquiries he 'had ascertained that families working on the land in the South Island were better encouraged to take an interest in the farm and earn a small wage, whereas many farmers in Taranaki who were paying interest to the mortgage... . and milking cows from morning until night, .wer© paying no wages to the family, which on an economic basis was wrong. Since they had left home, continued Mr Cameron, they had been "jabbed with inuendoes" with regard to the wheat question. As far as this subject was concerned, the Taranaki people, were in a fog. If the facts were made known to them through the agency of the Farmers' Union, a better understanding would result, and Taranaki would give them a fair hearing Mr Cameron akv> urged the protection of secondary industries. -nnxl 1 ' A - h Campbell (chairman of the County Council), speaking of the sheep that had been inspected that day, said they were a fine lot, clean, well-grown and true to type. Throughout the South Island the sheep were wonderful. They could not produce sheep like that in Taranaki. The visitors left for Christchurch by special train at about 7.30 o'clock last evening, and were given a warm sendoff .