BRITISH FARMERS

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21329, 23 November 1934, Page 22

BRITISH FARMERS

IMPROVED POSITION THE MARKETING SCHEMES \ Farmers in England now are better off than they have been for sometime, ' according to Mr Charles .Clifford, who arrived in Christchurch yesterday. The farms were looking well, and last: season's harvest had been such that many of them had some reason to be satisfied with present conditions. An exception, however, was to be found on the East Coast, where farmers were not doing so well, but Mr Clifford had no special knowledge of that part of the country. Most of the farmers did not like Mr W. E. Elliot's produce marketing schemes. They were not accustomed to working according to regulations, and they could not understand why they should be penalised for breaches of rules to which many of them never gave a moment's thought. They would not be bothered to learn the provisions of the schemes as they affected them, and it was inevitable that difficulties should arise. Empire Competition Competition from Australia and New! Zealand, about which many of the farmers had never thought much if the past, was now much spoken Of, and it was not liked. It was notice-; able that there was a move from the production of milk for town supply' to dairy farming to supply butter and cheese factories. This tended to; make the farmers more aware of the competition of Dominion butter and Conditions in England generally seemed to be steadily improving. There was a feeling of stability about, and many workers were being reabsorbed in industry. , . ■. : . For the continuance of this state of affairs, with its move towards greater prosperity, Mr Clifford thought it essential that the present National Government in England should be re : turned to power. It seemed likely that the present state of affairs, and ! the renewed confidence it had engenI dered, would be an important factor in securing the re-election of the* National Government.