The Press WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1957. The Show

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28433, 13 November 1957, Page 16

The Press WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1957. The Show

The Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association’s ninety-fifth show, which will be held at Addington over the next three days, brings the country to town for all to see. It is well that those who stand on factory floors and sit behind office desks should have this chance of contact with the province’s; primary industry. The goodj prices obtained in recent years for meat and for wool are the; basis of the prosperity that town as well as country people have enjoyed; and everyone has a very real interest in the continuance of this prosperity. This show is being held at a critical time in New Zealand's agricultural history. Of the ability of farmers to go on expanding their production from the land there is no cause for doubt. With subterranean clover and lucerne they have gone a long way to meeting the problems of dry-land farming. The aeroplane dropping fertiliser and seed has introduced a new era on the foothills and in the higher country, and research workers are indicating further fields of increased production. An abundance of agricultural products is in itself a good thing; but New Zealand lives on its export of primary

products and as such is highly ( vulnerable to policies, over < which it has little or no control, in countries far beyond its shores. It is here, in the disposal of this country’s farm products, that some shadows mar today’s scene. Support prices and subsidies to farmers |in countries that are potential I markets for New Zealand ' produce inevitably raise home J production and limit the chances of expanded sales by New Zealand. Proposals for free trade areas in Europe may be admirable, but they will not necessarily make New Zealand’s business of selling on the United Kingdom market, or finding new markets, any easier. If New Zealand is to surmount these problems, it will need not only wise government and good farming leaders, but a public informed on farming matters and aware of the importance of seeing that New Zealand’s products are sold to the best ' advantage in the world's markets. Farmers do not need sympathy, but understanding; and the show is an opportunity for all to increase their understanding of the industry that is truly the backbone of the life of Canterbury and of New Zealand.