Farmers told: be reasonable

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32634, 16 June 1971, Page 2

Farmers told: be reasonable

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 15. The Associate Minister of Finance (Mr Pickering) today warned farmers against making unreasonable demands for Government assistance. Speaking to the Ruakura farmers* conference at Hamilton, Mr Pickering said fanners should appreciate that townspeople, with whom they were interdependent, had so far not been unduly critical of the substantial assistance to farmers.

“We should not stretch their quite generous understanding beyond what Is reasonable,” ne said.

“Some recent clamours from a few of our less responsible farmers have not been very reasonable. “While I am not advocating that farmers should try to revert quite to being the rugged individualists of

pioneering days, I do suggest that a little more of that self reliance and independence of our forbears would not go amiss.”

Farmers would do well, he said, to be aware that the very considerable aid they received from the Government came from the rest of the people of New Zealand, and to appreciate that by and large, as a matter of enlightened selfinterest, farmers did not only have the sympathy but also the practical support of the rest of the community.

"I would suggest that we do not turn sour and lose that understanding by stretching our demands beyond what is reasonable.” Was it not time, he asked, for farmers to get on with the job with a little less despondency or defeatism, and with a little more belief in themselves.