Page 24 Advertisements Column 1

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20523, 16 April 1932, Page 24

AUCTIONS. H. MATSON AND CO. SELD-HELP FOR THE FARMER. IT has probably novcr been so truo as it is to-day that the farmer can be his own Wat friend or his own worst enem>. J-nas is not a mere meaningless platitude, years past a great number of them have been living and working on tap ta , t v rowed money, with tho fear of bankruptcy and ruin constantly before then- eyes and too often actually realised. It is haidly sur prising that they have been driven to - vorgo of despair. They have been tempted to .believe that modern politicians aro » league with tho weather against them, ana that it is their fate to be saenfied on the altar of industrialism and low it were true, which it is not, that all o them are grumblers, tliey have ha .° good cause for their discontent. But is certainly true thut at the present moment as tho more far-sighted among them are beginning to realise, the reasons for despar are definitely less serious, and the grounds for hopefulness far more solid than the have been for many a long day. The tide at last shows signs of turning, fhe non-afcii-Vultural population are beginning to understand that the prosperity of farming is at least as essential to the national welfare as that of any other industry, and the Govern ment and Parliament have consequently been given a freer hand than their predecessors lor the introduction of measures designed to arrest its decay. In the few months since they came into power tho Government, in spite of the pressure of many other claims of the greatest importance, abroad as well as at home, have already shown that they do mean to take practical steps for tho relief and protection of British food producers in their uphill struggle with foreign competition and their efforts to regain a greater share of the home market. Producers of many different kinds of home-grown food stand to benefit, though in varying degree, by the provisions of the "Wheat Bill and its guaranteed price and market, by the import duty 011 foreign oats and barley, by the addition o£ foreign maize, an well as potash salts and phosphates of lime, to foreign linseed, cotton seed, and rape seed on the free list, and by the duty on foreign milk products and imported foreign eggs. If they have not been given all that they would like ov consider necessary, they will at least bo ready to own that the change from the conditions that have road'the markets of this country the dumping ground for the foodstuffs of the world cannot ba brought about in tho twinkling of an eye. Tho Government have, in fact, made « good beginning; and it is only a beginning. Wheat has loomed large because of its traditions in Euglish farming and the special plight of the wheat-farmer; but the stockbreeder, the poultry-farmer, and the milk producer, who loom far larger in modern English agriculture, have not been ignored. Not only is there to be an enquiry into the question of the quantitative control of bacon imports, but the Chancellor of the Exchequer lias declared during the last week that tho Government are also prepared to consider an enquiry into the possibility of applying a quantitative system to meet other than pig products. It is quite certain, however, that this method of procedure, which is a sound method, depends mainly on the farmers themselves uniting to bring about the reorganisation of marketing, and the better co-ordina-tion of home supplies. The Government cannot be expected to give them blindly the further help, for which they are asking at the expense of the consumer. In tho bacon market, for instance, before consenting to control the imports of the foreign producer, the Government must be certain that tho British farmer is in a position to take his place by supplying, in quality and eventually in quantity, -the class of bacon that the British consumer prefers. The compartment will be expanded as it .can be filled. At present, — , I PRIVATE ENTERPRISE. J The njan who runs his own farm knows j from experience that no matter how | good a man he puts in charge of it, he | in many instances fails to have things | carried on, as he himself would. It is | the question of personal element. H. J MATSON and 00. for many years have carried oh a Stock and Station business, | and we leave no stone unturned in the j realisations of stock, produce, or xner- | chandise entrusted to our care. ■I H. MATSON and CO. | though it is believed that the Pig Industry Council has prepared a scheme for gradually replacing the imports of foreign bacon, it is not known whether the scheme meets with ih» approval of the Government; and our Agricultural Correspondent tells us this morning that some farmers and smallholders are actually disposing of their breeding sows in jheer ignorance of what is being planned for them. The sooner that ignorance ia dispelled the better. The broad fact is that British farmers should be able now to face the future with reasonable confidence, but only if they understand how much does really depend on themselves. If they' are to reap the advantages they' seek, they must set to work of their own initiative —and In co-operation with the Ministry of Agriculture—to prepare schemes lor the reorganisation of the whole of the commercial side of the industry and tlia. proper marking, grading, and marketing of all the foodstuffs that they produce. Those are in effect the conditions imposed by tfee general policy of protection for' efficiency. They give to the farmers and farming a greater opportunity for self-help than the industry has had for many years. EXPERTS IN ONE AND MANY THINGS. It is not uncommon to hear those in charge of big factories or business houses talk with a certain impatience of experts. They accuse them of an incurttble tendency to miss a practicable point. Tliey admire their 'specialised knowledge and patient laboriousness, but they talk as if they would seldom trust them with the responsibility of making decisions. They hint that as the experts go digging industrially along in their mole-runs they miBS the importance of many a fact that might by a more alert and vigorous personality be developed to the advantage of the firm, of the public, and of themselves. . Probably all of us are expert in one subject or another, if in nothing else at least in our own trade or profession. Wo can i judge the general accuracy of these strictures, We have seen the man of Tough and'ready ability mishandling technicalities but somehow getting things done, and, in a completely surprising fashion, turning into importance and advantage a fact which ,we had overlooked. In this,' country we have many experts. No business can expect to reach a position of national importance without them. The domain of commercial knowledge for a big store is now so vast that it has to be divided up. The operations are so complicated and the need for proficiency-in them so urgent that there must be division of labour, a hundred different men and women doing a hundred different tasks with the specialised knowledge that comes from specialised experience. But no great country which was nothing more than an assembly of experts could hope to succeed. They might know all about a hundred different sections of life and yet be all at sea when it comes to dealing with life as a whole. They would go from tree to tree noting their growth and character but never seeing ' the size and significance of the forest. The highest type of expert is the one who is expert in life as a whole. He must be well acquainted the world, knowing by observation and intercourse and sympathy all the kinds of people that make up a nation. He must know the life of the home find the life of the hotel, the life of fashion and the life of sport, life in the city and life in the country. We aim to make this Firm expert in life. We know that it is a high ambition, difficult to attain. It means far harder and more continuous effort. It means being wide awake every Bioment of the day.' It means an effort of attention to every conversation, everything we rea<£ or hear. It means keeping the whole mind in constant training. Only so can we be sure of avoiding the faults of partial expertnoss. Only so can we be sure that at all times we are completely in touch with the large and active world, able to give the fullest service at all points to every one of the many who come to do trade. 11. MATSON and CO. The farjner frequently wants to havo a « ch»t regarding agricultural and pastoral matters, and H. MATSON and CO. will be pleased to extend a welcome to such enquiries and will answer the same to the best of their ability. They hove a direct and personal knowledge extend* ing over many years." The Pirm_ at the present time call attention of farmers to the possibilities of o stringent period during July, August, and September UXIT and SOLIDIFIED MOLASSES will prove a boon to many stock owners during that period. H. MATSON and CO. 116628