Dairy Farming Costs

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 97, 18 January 1933, Page 11

Dairy Farming Costs

Sir, —As one who is trying to make a living on. the land, I have followed with great interest the letters appearing in your paper from time to time, especially those over the signatures of 4- Sigley ami E. O. Bond. In Mr. Sigle/s first letter he vainly tries to pick holes in the figures submitted by Air. Bond to a farmers’ meeting in Feilding. As one who was present, I itgree with Air. Bond’s figures, and as for other products to balance the budget, Air. Sigley refrains from telling us what they are. At one time, we could sell poultry, eggs, fruit, and vegetables, and make a little, but with things as they are, production costs ■ make poultry-keeping unprofitable. As for vegetables, ’ almost everybody grows their own or goes without, and with so much unemployment many people cannot buy fruit as before, so these side-’ lilies can be counted out Then we come to the phrase "keen farmer.” Surely, Sir, there are as keen farmers to-day as in the past. Men work just as hard, plan just as clearly, and produce more per cow. If through no fault of his own the farmer of to-day cannot meet his mortgage on less than half his previous income, are we to believe he is not a keen farmer, but a waster?

The suggestion that Air. Bond’s figures and balance-sheet were prepared for the Farmers’ Union to bolster up a case to the Government will be treated by the thousands of honest farmers with the contempt it deserves, but I, with other sufferers, do not take kindly to the suggestion that only the pioneers of fifty years ago had courage and honesty. Let me quote an example: A family put their life savings into a farm a few years ago. To-day, despite hard toil, they find the burden too heavy. It was suggested they seek the aid or protection of the local committee set up to deal with interest charges. The reply was that they would work till their hands bled and then walk off before they did so. It takes courage to see the toil of a lifetime go, and to keep on fighting uphill with age creeping on. Then we are told by Air. Sigley to cut down expenses and produce more. I venture to suggest that the majority of working farmers cut expenses and deny themselves as much as the man who glibly uses the two-edged phrase “cut down expenses.” They can be cut too much sometimes. Optimism, Sir, is good, but does it pay the baker and grocer? It will not make the cream cheque larger.

Again, we are told by Mr. Sigley how men of fifty years ago made good with butter at od per lb, and by driving sheep over the cliff, but he forgets to say that land cost anything from 5/- to £2O per acre, while to-day it runs from £3O to £lOO, and rates up also. It is no use telling us about the good old days of fifty years ago. What we want to know is about the bad young days of to-day and how to get over them. Let me ask Mr. Sigley a question. Has he any suggestion to make to improve the position? If so, why does he not accept Mr. Bond’s challenge to debate the question and thus enlighten the hundreds who would go to hear him and be eternally grateful? On the other hand, Mr, Bond has made a practical suggestion, and it is only reasonable, with values falling, savings gone, and the incomes of those who do the work vanishing, the interest should fail too. Let everyone make th“ “equality of sacrifice" which we hear so much about.. Air. Sigley tells us to pay our interest in full, and even goes to the length of questioning the recommendations made by the economists that interest should be brought in line with present price levels. In neither of his letters has he made one practical suggestion, and T agree with Air. Bond's statement that his letters would be amusing were they not so tragic.—l am, etc., YOUNG FARMER. Feilding, January 16.