FINGER-POINTING CAMPAIGN

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 67, Issue 158, 17 April 1947, Page 2

FINGER-POINTING CAMPAIGN

MINISTER REPLIES TO FARMERS INTER-SECTIONAL SNEERING SHOULD CEASE (P.A.) WELLINGTON, April 10. “Federated Farmers seem hurt at my pointing a finger at some anonymous tired farmers in the Gisborne district, but. after all, it was the farmers concerned who started this finger-pointing business. Federated Farmers have been making rather a specialty at pointing fingers at other sections of the community for quite a long time, and have almost earned the alias of Federated Finger-Point-ers,” said the Minister of Rehabilitation (the Hon. C. F. Skinner) to-day.

“In,the first place, I expressed my appreciation of the excellent war effort of our farmers in my previous statement. This can he said of all our workers, but I pointed out that the farmers were in no worse position than other sections of the community. I am ready to believe that many farmers now getting on in years are genuinely industrially tired and unable to maintain their wartime efforts in the face of the post-war difficulties, but that by no means justifies them in ‘ restricting their efforts a little ’ and not making full use of their land at a time when people on the other side of the world are starving, and while thousands of young servicemen are eagerly scouring the country for farms. Let them give up the ' unequal struggle,’ and sell their farms to these former servicemen and enjoy a wellearned retirement.

Results Will Be Interesting

“It will be interesting to see just how many of those complaining of ‘bureaucratic controls and interference’ are sufficiently fed-up to want to let their farms go. “The Lands Department is subdividing and developing land as fast as it can for the settlement of former servicemen, with a resulting increase in the production, of foodstuffs, but that it not an overnight job, and we urgently need reasonably developed properties for early completion of our land settlement programme. “Not my finger alone will be pointed at any tired farmer who adopts the -dog-in-the-manger attitude shown by the anonymous farmers concerned, but in the circumstances I feel I will have 5000 fellow former servicemen scornfully pointing their fingers in the same direction.”

Fertiliser shortages were quoted in the original statement, said the Minister, but the actual position was that the supply of fertiliser was, if anything, gradually improving, with better prospects in view. .Under the present quota system every farmer was assured of receiving his fair share. “Federated Farmers seem to be daring me to do some finger-pointing at other sections of the community which have recently been indulging in direct action in the industrial field,” added the Minister. “1 want to emphasise now that I think just as badly of any other worker who disregards constitutional procedure and strikes or goes slow to achieve his. ends as I do of farmers who are taking this attifude, whether he be farmer, miner, watersider, shop assistant, civil servant or serviceman. Common Obligations “All members of the community have an obligation lo New Zealand and to the Mother Country to give of their best and to negotiate reasonably and constitutionally for improved conditions and pay. “Instead of defending their selfaccused members, Federated Farmers have underlined their guilt by inviting me to include other sections of the community in my finger-point-ing. The Government has been -continually badgered by Federated Farmers, along with certain other organisations, to interfere with other classes of workers who have adopted unconstitutional methods. I need hardly mention the hullabaloo that would arise at any suggestion that the Government interfere with farmers suspected of restricting their efforts, for the same motives. “For heaven’s sake, let this continual inter-section sneering and bickering stop, and let us all do our best for ourselves and our kinsfolk.*’