Low morale observed in Aust, farming

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32612, 21 May 1971, Page 17

Low morale observed in Aust, farming

One of the most distressing aspects of the whole agricultural scene in Australia was the way that the morale of rural people had declined, said Mr V. R. Clark, lecturer in animal science at Lincoln College, addressing this year’s farmers’ conference at the college on Wednesday evening.

Mr Clark, who has recently visited Australia said that depressed people created problems by ceasing to look at things in perspective and putting too much reliance on others to get them out of their predicament. “I would hope, that New Zealand farmers, pressed hard

as some are by cost-price problems, will not abandon their ability to challenge adversity,” said Mr Clark. "To sit back and look for a handout is surely not our national attitude.”

Low product prices and over-supply of some primary products, combined with the ravages of drought, had brought the economy of the agricultural sector of the Australian economy to a low ebb. Coining to standstill Following a drought in Queensland, and central and northern New South Wales lasting from December, 1968, to October last year, whole communities were coming to a standstill.

Machinery firms had yards full of every type of farm machine, some three years old and still brand new. Grocery shops had been forced to close their doors because many fanners had not paid their accounts for mere than

a year. Woolworths had been working four days a week.

Normally rich productive red or black earth had been cultivated but had not produced a crop in a year. Farmers had been moving to the towns to find work until the rains came. Graziers had been working for the local shire to pay off their rates. Banks and lending institutions had been unable to extend further credit to properties beyond financial salvage, said Mr Clark. Many suggestions had been made for solving the problems facing large numbers of fanners, in particular those on properties now classified as too small or inefficiently managed. Mostly the suggestions said that the owners would be better to be off their properties. Many of the farmers concerned ran their properties on on family basis, so that if the man had to be rehabilitated his family would . also need to be considered. Any rehabilitation scheme would obviously be costly. There was virtually no consideration of direct financial support of inefficient fanners or uneconomic farm enterprises. “I consider this to be a realistic approach to fanning as a business," said Mr Clark.

But progress towards [ a workable rehabilitation , scheme seemed to be bogged down by inter-state rivalry ’ and politics. Mr Clark said that educa- • tion in the rural areas ceased • at a lower level than in the ; cities. Forty-eight per cent of : the farm work force had only a primary education com- : pared with 29 per cent of city 1 workers. Only about 2 per cent Of farm managers were 1 formally trained. But virtually all rural | children now went on to secondary school and planned i to stay on until Form V. In : addition the facilities for , formal vocational training ' for entrants to fanning were . being fully used. About 3000 entrants to 1 farming were needed each ’ year. There were now 700 i future farm people in cadet ’ schemes, 150 at institutes or , training farms and more than > 500 at Lincoln and Massey.

Mr Clark said he felt that the low educational standard in rural Australia led to a lack of acceptance of advice from advisory officers and also a lack of understanding of the need for programming a farming enterprise as a businees.