THE LOT OF THE FARMER

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3096, 29 May 1917, Page 6

THE LOT OF THE FARMER

Sir,—As a member of that fearfully selfish band of individuals—the State Servants' Association—l was highly interested by the letter of "From the Country." regarding • State servants and the cost, of living. Now, I have lived in. the country for years, and I know tho farmer, as he is my neighbour on. every side. He is a great bluffer. It is part of his business, and'our friend is no mean exponent of the art. Let me answer'his bluff by hard facts.; My nearest neighbour is a dairy farmer with, fifty acres and .milking twenty cows. Before the war his butter-fat cheque for tho year was X' 2-10, while now lie draws i'4oo. Roughly, his war profits on butter-fat alone to March 31, 1917, amounted to two and a half times <£IGO, i.e., £400. Before- the -war his farm was worth an. acre, but now is valued at .£45 per acre, representing a. gain of .£750 to him, and for which he has done nothing. Since ho produces the greater portion, of his own tood, tho rise in: food prices have affected him to only a small extent, and this is more than compensated by the enhanced prico he obtains for the side-produce of his farm; e.g., pigs, eggs, etc. He pays no excess profits tax, as this, broadlyspeaking, affects no farmer with an income of less than ;£SOO. To show" tho world he appreciates his good fortune, he has followed the example of most of his farming neighbours, and is tho proud I owner of a. motor-car.

Now for mj- own case. Before the war my salary was.£2oo per annum, and up to March 31, 1917, my only increase has been my one's year's bonus of £15, which represents M a year for the two and' a half years of war. I feel the full foreo or the high food prices, aa most State Servants do, and this in my family means an increased food bill of at least .£3O per annum. Allowing for my .£6 a year increase, this represents a net loss to me of .£24 annually. The extra strain on my none too robust income (Oh! that I had only to pay income tax!) has _ happily been partially met by my family sitting on our garden fence for •their short annual holiday. This typical .example speaks for itself; and, remember, my farmer friend is one cf' the poorest of the poor, on the lowest ruu" of the agricultural laddor. .Finally, let me make a suggestion to the farmers. Since, from our friend's letter, most farmers' profits are no greater than the ,£ls bonus I receive, let them aa a body present the country with their war profits, and I am positive the State Servants will meet them by sacrificing their bonuses in turn—l ara, etc., ALSO PROM THE COUNTRY.