THE GOVERNMENT, AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS, AND FARMING SOCIETIES.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIII, Issue 3016, 27 March 1867, Page 5

THE GOVERNMENT, AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS, AND FARMING SOCIETIES.

Thk South Australian Register, February 23rd, has a very excellent article on the treatment which the agriculturists of South Australia • Jiare received at the hands of the Government •nd governing classes, whi«h we cannot do better than reprint for the benefit of our country readers. As in South Australia, so in New Zealand — the squatting and moneyj lending interests — absenteeism and usury— are protected and encouraged, to the detriment of ' those interests which form the mainstay of the country. We need hardly add anything to the arguments used by our Adelaide contemporary. . They are equally applicable here as there, only that; in South Australia the farming interest is more important than it is here. But the country settlers must be enoouraged if they are tocreate A surplus, much less supply the wants <of our own population. And they have not been encouraged hitherto. ' 'Everything has ' been^ spent' on the city or opulent suburban districts, and the out-settlements have been left to languish. This is bad policy. It is bearing „ fruity however, in the threatened exodus of the - best class of labourers and artisans, for they are ■ not tfte idle an4 thriftfesa who, after so long a period of depression, can afford to pay their ' (passages to San Francisco or Australia. Some > months ago, we suggested the constitution of a sßoardof TradejManufaetures, and Agriculture ; but? the idea has 1 not been carried out. Some Bufah 1 - body must be constituted, 6r else' the. process* of 'our cotiritry will be retarded :— ' The time, .has now come, when the claims of the , agricultural interest, .upon, the Legislature and.Gov1. tpnment of the colony »ught}t6 be more) clearly and practically recognised... i .Hitnerto, .the Executive^ itUkTt) don* little or .nothing for agriculture/iexcept to- 1 > '. sell land at the highest price) obtainable. ■, ! No .epiw „ cessions are^made to. farmers ; although' squatters ; can- get almost any concessions they ask for,- and j ,- . other interests :£nd< soft places in,Ministerial.hearts. .. ; ,But the poor ,f»nher;is lefs to shift for. j himself.. ;i t Whan he wants a> section of land; -he is run upJ» £3,' £4, or £5, per acre for it ; and if, afterjpayingjan .<■ enormous price .for land, and going, to the heavy 1 V .ontlay iijf .cultivation* his crops are ruined byjslujgs, .take-all, blighftdrought, hot winds, orrusih-red and . b'aek-r-he finds he ha* lost his time;, his. labour, arid his money — why, he must grin and bear it.j (No. .paternal Government troubles itself about his losses 7 ; , no powerful (combination of merchants,' bankers, and' , caprfajiato stirajlp the, Executive, to come, to ibis Tjescue. Other, interests have their grievances jre■n.dresßed; other.iinterests have. their losses repaid; but the, poor farmer must take care, of, himself, origo , ' uncared for.. A, wonderful concession has,- < indeed, < / just been made. It has been*. pressed upon: the t attention of the, Government, that if a, ton of woo! or. i a .ton of copper\oEe be canned fi»m Kapunda . to the /, Fort for 15a, ,^ it is not.ttir to charge 265. for a to4 of: n wheat,) worth. tifttrinsitfally less.las a marketable 1 , article, but costing, more to, raise.' •<. The iGftvernmint !,.have,heen unAble fco trejijgfc ,fche Adduced iiu i behalf of -th© farmer, >and they have dealt out an an- ,, aWment of iuatiee.ji.iW* say an.] jfor I . -jJfcV i«>s W justice $„ ft knot, evßn.-,han.d£d justice*;-! it is not impartial justice. . cThe Government , h4ve / .hjthertOj defrauded, the, farmers^tpjfche extent/ of ljls.. niper. top, ; henceforward they willi only.vch.eat. them ,„ . pu,t,pf ss. .lidpfcey, -will- carry the ..squatter's uwoftl tori. ,! 15f., they willcany tbemine/fr QiefprlSs., »ndj(ta' „,. show, their, perfect .fairness) they ,wiU< carry, the. i whea.t.fp.r.,2os f , The farmers -areinot sajis-^. tied ; and' why should they be ? , /Thej^haveuot gat I fairpUjj^et :, » i/« The agricultural interest is the mainstay of this. r ,).jCpJony,j.^t' i thj(LfvaJuc/of the wh^at. export! is fact' equal to that of wool, iij must be remembered tpat iindjn^tbe-nec^rigs.oflife. „ „ ... . .| r j t \ r J Inhere are^o rich absentee fanners, drawing large ]~ t incomes from the colony to spend jn, foreign' Iftnps.;. ' ' '^aijuiers^re^li.w'oikiißg/men, and theii^ earnings W '. circul»tje(l in the -colony, through the, usual channels '", -«f, trw&/) 0 0 J employ, jelativejy to ,th^ value] qi ,|/tteir,produc«i more labour than/is employed in' iny. .. '^ie.r^dußbnal'int^rest^ and, they f^ed, the comt mi r^'nityaiw^^iiopppi^the, export trade. We havfe, „, ,np wiah •whatever to-secure, advantages for this inter- ' eat i}t the, expense qf otter, interest*,. We wopld not" " rob pay Paul." W^ do. not seek' toi burdens on other industries toj Ij^hten the ( \toad upon tHif. %t is not a .question of matry £ot ,'of .^pmpetitiop ; buj; w«,say that agriculture is not encqiiraged, apd fostered in this colony as it ought to .^^^cpnsideringitihe (vast importance of the interest, Sjiitwtpnly to those who are engaged in it, but to the - commupitjr, at large. -. . . j ' t - 0 3*lte oar ffind Agricaliar*! , Show. "Wo hsve jort tad a splendid exhibition, of which the colony njight well Be proud ,j but what has the Government 4one to encourage; this great, enterprise,? • So little „ ]that it seems a pity^ even to accept that' Jittl^: j Jf laericulture pan dp ,with ; such small help it can ido "n" n at all. ( If,it can, walk upon such reejdy vrntctei, it can throw *w»y its^ cratches . altogether, and walk on its own legs. > Laat year the Parliament yoie4|or t^e Society £200, and ,'£3oo, for jail theoth*rSocietie«taroughoutthecolony ;malijng£sQo. idtogether."'Nqw; übe u be it remembered, , we «r« a great ,'' •OTcqltnr*lcrolony,*ncl,h*Te been styled <fthegr*piry ot Awtralia." ,Therefqre it,might bq expected th^t the Government wpulid give to the, faroting interest a 'cqipresponding position in iU appropriation- of fhe, finances, ajid make the vote , for agriculture com.mensurate 'wi|h,,ihe magnitude "and importance! of, . tbV: interest!;, But very different ,i» tUe c^e, Wtej-e ope hundred [ pounds is voted for. agriculture, ; „ , thrjsp or fouTjtimea ac many thousands are yote^ <i». thephape of remi^iions and (Concessions) to the iquattenj "We are, j^ot complainiqg o^ this. We „are not seeking to deprive the pastoral lestces of any y rwujonalble encouragement which, the .State may J afford them.; but.weaak, and have a, right to ask, ' why .the Government should not be as,generquB ! to ; ' the /armer, aa *° &* squatter ? The, farmer deserves ,o i^; the farmeßnpedsjifr; .and we are only astounded , at the calmf submi^^n with .which our agricultural , friends "submit to obviously .unfair treatment. , „,' ; To returnj again. tp, Agricultural Societies:, The Government vote £500, (to support, aH, the, agricul- , tural exhibitions and societies in the, colony. , ; Y lotoria. • is not a pre-eminently agricultural ., colony, .and farmers ,t£ere, have not; so strong a clainj upon the, GoTerpmenti not returning so much to ifc. Bat how i do.the Yict^rianiLjsgifllature and Government act'? .Why, witfe infinitely m^ore liberality. , r .V^eAayenow before us the report of the Victorian^oar.djpf, Agriculture for. the .year, 1864r5,,and, we. find thai; in that , yeari£4,fioo was, paid to the various .agricultural, . j, aocieties at^overnmeni granto:in,aid K .The^report, ; gives tablas of ia.ll th^ different societies, . and the , amount paid to each^so that there is no mistake about it, The. prizes: offered are worth competmg . i lor; and, .under- this fostering patronage, agriculture „ is rapidly going ahead, in, the sister colony. Analyses , ' 61 the .soil are made by .competent persons ; experi- , , ments are conducted. jto. test the fertilising powers of .manures.; in factj. every, department pf agaricul^uraJ industry is studied as .it ought to be. Sere, it ;fs jail - ,•♦ happy -go-Jocky "—no one aeeming to care whether the interest sinks or. swims. The report) of the ' Victorian Board of Agriculture, cow before us, is a i ' oonsiderablfl volqme, full of useful and instructive information ; and why should we drag, our slow and Weary length. along in, this colony, as we have been doing ? It may be a matter of doubt whether tiher* should be a Minister, of. Agriculture, but, whether sueh,a department be created or not, certainly the , * {arming interest deserves and demands far more ';■■: consideration than it. has ever yet received at the hands of our legislators ; and we hope that the, good t..j time coming for other industries is coming for; ; .farming alto. . >. ,

"Wolvjs otf a Railway.— "A cattle-train , on „. ttie Luxembourg Railway wu stopped,''/ »*ys the iVon?,. "two nights back, 1 between labramont and - • Poix, by the mow... The breaksman was seat forward'for aid to 'dear the line, and while the guard, fireman, engine-driver, and a Customs officer were engaged in getting the snow from ' under the engines they were alarmed by wolves, of which there were ' fi-Wf *»d which were attracted, no dottbt, by the scent of the oxen and sheep cooped up in railed-in r , carriages. The men had no weapons save the fire' ;' J "<lteiUils' belongitf^ to the, 'engine. The wolves ■ ' 'ttimained in a demi-circle a few y*rds distant, look-' 1 ing keenly on. The engine-drlyer let off steam and blew the whistle, and lanterns were waved to and ' ' fro, but the ravage brutes did not move. The men „ then made their way, folio ired by the wolves, to the !'! ' |rt»*rd's c*n?ago. Three got in. safe j while ttie * ' fourth was on the step one of the animals' sprang /- " onbitn, buij succeeded only in tearing his coat.' Ttey! '•- "all then made an attack, but were beaten off. one 1 being killed by a blow on the head. ' Twp'houzi « ll f .ela'nied before acsistance arrived, and duringTthaF t -'time thri woWes 'made several attempts upon the •heeii v trackB, but failed to get \n. None of the oattlewtto injured," '