Govt attacked on farm "inaction"

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33276, 13 July 1973, Page 11

Govt attacked on farm "inaction"

t.Veie Z.ciluiid Ftett 4sk» lotion > W ELLING lOX. .July 11. Delegates to the Eederaied Farmer* annual conference today attacked what they described as the Government’s failure lo implement promises made in its election manifesto.

Mr R W Johnston (MidCanterbury) quoted sections of the Labour Party manifesto dealing with irrigation and said that the matter was now urgent. 'The irrigation season is only six weeks away and we still don't know where we are going.” he said. Mr P G. Morrison (North Canterbury) said that farmers had been promised some help with irrigation schemes in the manifesto, but all that had happened was that the Government had set up a committee. "Where does this leave farmers who want to imple- , ment their own schemes'?" he asked. Mr Morrison said that if the Government was generally interested in helping i farming, then it would have announced its irrigation policy at the same time as it took away direct farming subsidies. The conference passed a resolution calling on the Government to announce and implement its irrigation policy “immediately." SETTLEMENT The Minister of Agriculture (Mr Moyle) was cnti icised for failing to come up 11 with a policy on farm settlement.

Mr B D. Chamberlain (Auckland) said that e\er\ time the Minister had been asked what action the Government was taking on farm settlement, the reply had been that an announcement was immint'iii "The problem of settling young fanners on their own land is urgent.' 1 he said Another Auckland dele gate. Mr 1) .1, Dutty. >ai<i people were not settling on farms because of the declining profitability of farming. particularly dairying “If you want to retain people on the land then you must pay them to stay there," he said. “Young people working on farms are leaving because they are not making the same wages as the rest of the community.” The conference called on the Government to make it possible for young people not directly engaged m farming, such as agricultural contractors and freezing workers, to buy farms Delegates also decided to ask the Government to ai range long-term ram-making experiments. Cricket The touring We.l Indians beat Glanwigan b\ an innings and 11 runs at Swansea Scores: Glanwigan 255 and 171 iA. Jones 60t. West Indies 437/7 (Id