FARMING QUESTIONS.
MEETING OF THE "WAIMATE UNION.
vPKKSS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) ■ WAIMATE, April 30. 1 .Mr Alfred Garland, president, of tho Waimate Farmers' .Union, in his address at the annual meeting of the Union, referred to the excess of imports of £2,000,000 over the exports, and asked whether the farmers -were not becoming extravagant. Over 1000 registered motor-cars wero in Christdiurch alone. Fanners were discarding tho old horse vehicles for motorcars, and they imported petrol to drive these cars. Ho recognised that there must be some commercial advantage in owning a car, because his experience of the average farmer was that he was not the man to put down half a crown unless he saw a good chance of picking up three shillings. He also referred to tho serious shortage of labour for farm purposes. One far-reaching effect of this was the reduced area brought under the plough. There was consequently less produce for export. Land settlement had. gone ahead, but the question-now was whether there was labour enough in tho country to work the land already settled. Mr 12. C Studholmo, the vice-presi-dent, urged a national policy of immigration of suitable farm workers. The farming industry could absorb thousands of such men without reducing wages. Xew Zealand exports might be doubled if tho labour necessary to work the farms were available. Tlie meeting resolved to set up a labour exchange. Tho question of immigration was left to the South Canterbury executive, who will interview the Prime Minister next week. Representatives of the Waimate workers interviewed the Hon. T. Buxton and Mr F. H. Smith, M.P., last night, and asked that the subdivisional scheme for the 1700 acres adjoining the Wairoate borough should be modified, so that instead of somo of the better quality land being In the 30-acrc sections, anything over 20 acres should be cut in halves. The Minister agreed to this. It is also proposed to build a number of workers' homes on the land. j
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 14343, 1 May 1912, Page 6
Word Count
328
FARMING QUESTIONS.
Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 14343, 1 May 1912, Page 6
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