FARMERS SEEK RELIEF FROM COSTS

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 127, 22 February 1939, Page 11

FARMERS SEEK RELIEF FROM COSTS

"Government Has Failed To Carry Out Policy” SURVEY OF BROKEN HILL COUNTRY URGED By Telegraph—Press Association. WANGANUI, February 21. A farmers’ rally at which the whole of the North Island, with the exception of Poverty Bay and Hawke’s Bay, was represented, was held in Makirikiri, near Wanganui, tonight. It was addressed by the Dominion president of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union Mr. W. IV. Mulholland, Canterbury, and adopted resolutions urging that tlie farming industry be relieved from the rising burden of costs and that the hill country of the Dominion be classified to enable the standard of production of New Zealand to be maintained at the high level of past years. The first resolution was: (a) That as a short-term policy to give immediate relief laud taxation, including hospital and country rating, be abolished ; (b) that as -a long-term policy internal costs be based on the farming income. The. second resolution was that the Government be requested to undertake a comprehensive survey of the broken hill country in the Clifton, Ohura, Whangamomona, Stratford, Eltham, Batea, Waitotara, Waimarino, Wanganui and Kaitieke counties and classify it according to its quality into (1) land that can bo permanently held in production; (2) marginal land that can be held with some measure of assistance; (3) areas that have gone or will eventually go out of production; and that with respect to class three a policy of gradual abandonment of the areas should be adopted and the land either planted with exotic trees or allowed to revert to native forest. “Government Untrue to Own Policy. “The present Government came into office pledged to a policy of making the position of tlie farmer sound,” said Mr. Mullholland, “but the farmers’ union claims that the Government has failed to carry out that policy. It has not only failed, but we claim it is being untrue to its own policy and is neglecting the farming industry, shall I' say deliberately—l almost -feel that that, is justified.” Mr. Mullholland said that not long ago the farmers’ union met the Prime Minister and other leaders of the Government. Mr. Savage had given a sympathetic bearing, but nothing hud been done so far. Technical problems had been referred to by the Minister of Lands, and he suggested a departmental inquiry. “Those te<J’tiical matters can be solved by the farmers themselves if their economic position is sound,” Mr. Mullholland added. “The return from land today is not sufficient to meet expenses.” He said that if the vast number of people in the country who did not add to the sum total of the production of the country were to get more than they were getting farmers would get less. By the criterion of years the prices the farmer was getting today were not at such a low ebb as to be critical, but on the other side of the ledger costs were at such a level that they could not be met..