FARMERS AMD WAR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2501, 30 June 1915, Page 10

FARMERS AMD WAR

THE PART THEY PLAY A PLEA FOR AMPLE PRODUCTION The first call of the Empire'was for men, and in this wo have done our part, said Mr. J. A. Johnstone, addressing the.aniiual meeting of the i\c»v Zealand Clydesdale Society, during the Alanawatu Show. The next call was for munitions and war equipment. We are not equipped to supply these, except in a very small way. There is another cail. however, that we can answer to per head of our population to a greater extent than any other section, not only of the British Empire, but probably to a greater extent than any other equal population in the whole world. The call that 1 refer to is tho call for' food, and the necessary raw material for production of soldiers' clothing. Other parts of the Umpire, notably Great Britain herself, can produce munitions and war material on a scale that even calculated on a population basis we are not equipped to approach, but food and clothiii" is just as necessary for soldiers as shells, cannon, and war equipment generally, and it is in the production of these that we come in.. The cry of the whole Empire now is for production, production, and yet more production oi tho necessary materials to carry on the war. Every man and woman within tho Empire is 'being asked to produce what lie or she is best able to produce to their utmost capacity, and to work the lougest hours of which they are capable. Wo in New Zealand arc now approaching another season, and it is the duty of every farmer throughout the country to so organise tilings that his farm will produce during next year tho utmost of which it is capable.

"Moreover, it is not only the duty of our farmers to do everything that lies in their power to produce; it is the duty, of our Government to use the machinery that it has at its hand to its utmost capacity to assist the farmers in production by the distribution of information and in every other possible way. ... At the present time, Mr. Mas'sey is Minister of Agriculture. Probablv lie would have few equals for this, position if he had time to attend to it. but with his other numerous duties, I am perfectly sure that he has very little, time to devote to this important Department. I think that under any circumstances the Agricultural Department is now such an important one that we should have.a man as Minister of Agriculture' with no other duties to attend to.