Land settlement need

Press, 4 August 1976, Page 3

Land settlement need

An imaginative programme of settling young men on the land was advo cated by the principal of Lincoln College (Professor J. D. Stewart), when he opened the twenty-ninth conference of the Weed and Pest Control Society in Christchurch yesterday. In emphasising input subsidies and stock increases, the symptoms of the malaise in agricultural productivity rather than the causes were being dealt with, he said.

One of the main causes, and perhaps the most critical, was the decline in human input.

From 1960 to 1970 there was a decline of about 11,000 farm holdings. This had occurred in both the sheep and dairy sectors. The corollary of this was an increase in the size of farms, which had continued in the 19705, and it was

signiflcant that variations in the profitability of farming during this period did not appear to have been greatly affected.

The evidence for beneficial effects from farm amalgamations from other limited research was not very convincing. From the viewpoint of balance of payments a much stronger case could be made for the intensification of farm management systems on existing farms, even under conditions of input subsidy.

From the social viewpoint, the effects of the fall in farm numbers were very clear. “What we are witnessing is a decline in the fabric of rural society, with all that this implies in respect to educational, medical, and commercial services — try getting a plumber in some North Canterbury districts —and on the other side of

the ledger are the problems associated with the increasing urbanisation of our society.” He advocated a policy ensuring that entry to farming would not be impossible for qualified and experienced young inen with limited capital. “I am convinced that the only way to achieve this is througn a far more imaginative policy of land purchase, redevelopment, subdivision where appropriate, and settlement on optional leasehold or freehold tenure, administered by the Department of Lands and Survey and the Rural Bank,” said Professor Stewart.

This was the partnership which was responsible for the administration of the soldier-settlement scheme which provided an immense stimulus to farming in the 19505.