“Personal Attitudes More Important”

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32010, 10 June 1969, Page 18

“Personal Attitudes More Important”

It had frequently been stated in discussion at the National Development Conference how vital to success would be the attitudes of people, the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Taiboys said last evening in officially opening the annual general meetings of the New Zealand Federations of Country Girls’ Clubs and Young Farmers’ Clubs.

The targets committee of the conference had put it this way—“changes in attitudes and policies related to productivity will do much to make or break target fulfilment.” These were not always other people’s attitudes and other people’s policies—“they are yours and mine,” said the Minister. As productivity increased branches of industry—groups of people—became more dependent one on another, Mr Taiboys said. He had been told of an example of this recently in California. Faced with ever more costly labour the tomato grower had called on the scientist and engineer to provide plants and machines to make him independent. But he had discovered to his cost that with his crop coming off at once he was more vulnerable to strikes in the processing plants. “One area in which there is so much more to be done by your organisation and by others is in the field of human relationships. “The scientist can work wonders with matter, the engineer can change the plant we work with, but neither can

change human nature,” said Mr Taiboys. “There is need for a much wider range of contact between groups of people.” In welcoming delegates to the two meetings the Mayor (Mr A. R. Guthrey) said that improved transport and communications, modern machines and labour-saving devices had reduced the dependence of farmers on their neighbours and they were bringing about a decline in the small villages and country towns.

“These changes offer a chance to you young people to find ways and means of retaining the spirit of the farming community, of retaining all that is good and wholesome in the attitude of men and women to the land and to each other, and from the inspiration that comes from working close to the soil,” he said. World attention was focused on youth today to a much greater extent than had been the case a few years ago, said the Dominion president of the Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs (Mr W. S. Penno). Whether it was in Europe, the United States or New Zealand youth hit the headlines, he said. In both federations great

emphasis was placed on youth training. As young farmers and country girls they were engaged in the production of food and clothing but they saw that they had an even greater role to play and in both federations in recent years the objective had been also to develop people with well-rounded personalities.

Leadership training methods had been used in both organisations and new programmes developed. They were also probing matters of national importance. Noting that this was their twenty-first annual genera! meeting, Miss R. Medlicott, national president of the Federation of Country Girls, said that a milestone had been reached in the history of the federation, which from nine clubs 21 years ago had grown to an organisation with 160 clubs, 26 district committees and almost 3000 members. There had been achievements both nationally and internationally, she said. After Miss Medlicott had traced the history of the movement, Mrs B. K. Jarman, the first federation president of the Country Giris, cut the twenty-first birthday cake. Contest Decided

The judging of the Wool Board's “make and model” competition with 20 entrants was completed. It was won by Miss A. Bishop, with Mrs A. G. Irving second and Miss C. Cross third. The judge was Miss D. Baird, of the Wool Board, and Mr A. F. Wright presented the prizes on behalf of the Wool Board. For the Royal Agricultural . Society, Mr D. L. Ensor, of Rakaia Gorge, presented the A. C. Cameron gold medals for the outstanding young farmers in the North and South Islands to Mr R. E. Jeffrey, of Tauranga, and Messrs A. and J. Thomson, of Waipara. Presentations were also made for the Bank of New Zealand to the wives of the farmers.