ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12935, 15 October 1907, Page 8

ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW.

Mr T. Macartney, of Tai Tapu, who recently paid a visit to the Old Country, in conversation with a representative of "The Press," gave his impressions of the farming industry in Ireland. He said that the people there had experienced a very backward season, anel perhaps things wero not looking their best. - ll© travelled a good deal in his nativo county of Antrim. He was struck with the difference between the method of carrying on farming now and that in vogue in his youth. The wholo country in this respect seemed to have been slipping backwards. Things were not improved, and he was greatly disappointed with what he saw. There seemed to lie a great lack of energy in the fnrming community. Farming was not carried on as it once wns. and the people told him that it was cheaper to buy produce than to grow it. Tho pnddocks seemed to be chiefly in meadow, and little work was being done, or seemed likely to lie done. Compared with colonial 'g<j-aheadness," the easy, contented spirit of the country people was most striking. He attributed this to the f'iet that the new land laws had given the. rural population land nt very low rentals, and the result seemed to be n total lo»s of incentive to strive for independence. The people struck him as being far too easy-going. Labour wns said to be scarce, and an increasingly lorgo number of young men were leaving Ireland every year for the colonies, chiefly for Canada. "The farmers tell you," said Mr Macartney, "that they cannot compete with the colonies, that colonial produce has swamped their markets, ond •,0 on ; but my impression is that they don't try to compete with the colonies, and, in fuct. they seem perfectly contented to let things tnko their own ' course, and make little or no effort to develop the resources of their own holdings. They showee! a marked contract with the energetic, go-ahead

■P» nt of tne Gonial farmer •» ' wTOH I however, to noffioJfcftffli did paddocks of flax industry showed it?sgft2_Bß tion. While looking V t ?L tf?_f was reminded of ■>» „ w bad I grow the true flax j_ R_Ht_*> 8 district. The attemnt 1 **!wia* fc w-. The flax cretin "«t n,rt L *S'' I bushes, and ■~M^f t - t Jf , jJJp& I which grew i„ Ireland. , fc After a visit to ■ *. ' { nrtney visited *' England and here tho m£t &_ \ able feature was the h«ckWrA__* •" compared with New Zealand |£_« & in agricultural mnchinert. I?- I ** ■*' case he was much amused to'aJ* ;J a paddock two men strent»*_s* work with a plouch -< holding the plonS Md B?Jf fi- )' in? a pair of horses. Ho coXfc '*' help thinking of tha >talissV* i /en nnd youth who thought-Vm Jfe £ ef driving *~„ bones in a «.!__ \ plough. It spompil to him truti_» t OM Country Httlo «r T JSfi* ' fnrm.ngmr.tte,-, h*A been madV%_ '-' nnd antiquated methods were _M™ f vocne. nnd he saw littl* 0 r »*. j_* '. cnee .„ F.nalisli methods of f,S* ! In the colonies we were RrontWfHff i ynnep. both in methods nnd in »ißfc tural mnchiiierv. "P"** *.