Contrasts from N.Z. farm history

Press, 2 May 1981, Page 17

Contrasts from N.Z. farm history

The Farming of New Zealand. By Gordon McLauchian. Australia and New Zealand Book Company, 1981. 256 pp. Illustrations, appendix, bibliography and index. $29.95.

(Reviewed by

Bruce Ross)

On first glancing through this large book I was impressed by the range of well chosen photographs, and looked forward to the pleasure of reading Gordon McLauchlan’s text. Closer inspection ' confirmed the quality of the illustrations, but the text did not live up to expectations. It must take courage to publish a semicqffee table illustrated history in 1981 ■without one colour photograph, but I found the format of this book attractive. The black and white presentation used throughout means that scenes of more recent events or techniques are not glamorised at the expense of those which are only available to us in black and white. The range of photographs is very wide, but those with a strong historical flavour are generally .the most telling and interesting. Pictures of the primitive shelters erected by settlers preoccupied with the need to clear the land on which their future income depended, contrast sharply with examples of the Victorian mansions erected as monuments to the. success and affluence of the sheep barons. The contrast is just as sharp between hillsides newly sown with grass following clearing and burning of the bush, the ground littered with stumps and unburned

timber, and ■ the unbroken productive pastures of today. A picture of the vessel, Dunedin, is a reminder of the way in which technology in the form of refrigeration opened up new markets to New Zealand farmers, and consequently changed the character and direction of the farming industry. The illustrations of howthings used to be done in the cowshed and the harvest field, show the dramatic effect which new technology has also had on farming methods. If past trends continue, even at a reduced rate, those looking for increased employment opportunities as a result Qf greater farm output are obviously going to have to look beyond the farm gate. As would be expected from the author of “The Passionless People,” “The Farming of New Zealand” abounds with telling insights as to why people acted as they did, and why things turned out as they have. Unfortunately, however, the text is marred by a very uneven quality, as if McLauchian had changed his mind several times as to the nature of the audience for which he was writing. For example, the discussion of the extent to which the work ethic of New Zealand farmers influenced the development of New Zealand literature up to the middle of this century is on a different plane from the. description of early efforts at cheese making: “Like home brew, some products would satisfy connoisseurs and others would yuk a peasant.” An over keen striving for effect also

leads to some purple prose in which clever words tend to obscure the meaning. An example is the following description of the sharp decline in farm incomes, which incidentally is wrongly ascribed' to the early 1970 s rather than the late 19605. “Then in the early 19705. sheep slumped and beef failed. The Government cleared its throat and looked the other way. Onfarm and processing costs were going up and doffing their green felt hats as they approached incomes coming the other way’.” More vigorous editing could: have made a substantial improvement to the text, and might also have achieved a better placement of some of; the illustrations nearer to relevant sections of text. The bibliography will be useful to those who are inspired to learn more about the development of our most important industry, but I was surprised that it does not contain the “History of Agricultural Production and Marketing in New Zealand,” by B. L. Evans. In his foreword McLauchian states that only one history of farming has been written in New Zealand, that of Alley and Hall, so he is obviously unaware of the very useful contribution made by Evans. Despite its deficiencies and omissions this is a good book which will be of interest to countrymen and townies alike. It generally succeeds in portraying and A telling a most important part of our social « and economic history in a way which will entertain as well as inform.