MAN ON THE LAND

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 128, 3 June 1927, Page 2

MAN ON THE LAND

HIS MANIFOLD PROBLEMS

FINANCE AND MARKETS

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

DUUEDIN, 2nd June. . The Art Gallery was filled to overflow, wg to-night when Mr. W. J. Poison, D o . minion president of the Farmers' Union, addressed a large crnwd of fanners and business people on.the manifold problems winch confronted farmers to-day The ' speaker was enthusiastically received, and spoue to a keenly. interested audience Comparing land in New Zealand with land m the countries of our competitors mark %?" J° lsoll Baid tUat in DenfavaCd S,JV eden land waji much higher creasing t? T* jllsVas heavr° "lBritLh fT bUl'd?n ***** borne hy «&• fia on ov FaT onormou * »« land innation m deflation. were by no mean* to div tl, SeT?r •aspl?t rf. the to-daj, though their-.effect-was very great Ihe most important essential in in-unary production was a reduction in costs This would result very a mckl x f tom a hastening of pnbljeeconomy. - Expenditure X far too lugh; salaries paid to-day in ths Government ..had donbled, ■ and the Vail! :-V nd T- and"all ■'G&mana*:Depaitments were costing too much. Public ■Cr n°m^ dld for a^ inequality or sacrifice;- all sections of the community should-, bear: their", "share of the bur. den and it was only then that public exof 1914 re r«turn-:t6 the normal rata LONG-TERMS LOANS. ; The -question of rural finance was a serious one. -Long-term loans and mortgages depended greatly, on :their persistence in hammering at the Government, and what mey needed almost as much-was the bviiipathetic support of the townspeople. Mr. Poison outlined'at great length the methods adopted in. America as-the result o£ the work-Eugene Meyer had done in the interests ot farmers' finance. It had been suggested that had-the Commission, on Rural Finance .returned earlier the leeislation for better £nance . would hay« been put on the Statute Book last session. however, it. was ."hot .the"""fauH of the Commission; they had /an. itinerary to' cover and it-could-not eove'r it sooner legislation would cgrfte sbony.and better and- easier arrangements would be available.. -„ „ -„. # . Speaking of the agricultural bonds to ba ISJ U£ 'S he.,ssea said-it.had- been stated that the bonds were not Government bonds; but lie wanted^to deny, this. They were backed--by the Government, and were as safe any investment in 7 the co-un-try. The Hon. -W. Ih- Stewart had himself given that assurance. - The long-term, loans of tlie Rural Credits Board would not carry nearly so high a rate of interest as that attached' to the long-term, oan proposals of the.Bgnk of New Zea- ■ land He did not want-to-decry the bank's ■offer,-but it did not oger"the satisfactory conditions connected' with ■< the loans of the Rural- Credits Board. The question of markets' for our produce was- then dealt with; -Mr. Poison said that- we must : have more markets for our produce: - Great Britain became great by trading ivith the' world. Tariff bargains and concessions were a means to securing more markets, and this should be taken up at once. There was a crying need for sanity ia regard tft tariffs. It was useless to build.up tariff-walls to protect the production of commodities being produced abroad. He did riot want protection of secondary industries abolished, but there was a great need, for a revision. Rea- . sonable prices must: replace false and bolstered values. A.great-need was a better land settlement policy; He instanced Brazil, where the question of immigration aud_ land settlement was dealt with-in a remarkably sane manner: The production of this country of 30 million inhabitants was enormous, and all as the result of the land settlement policy of the Government. Surely if Brazil-could do so much, for foreigners, New Zealand should do better for her own sons. Thousands of young men had had to walk ■ off their "farms simply because of land deterioration. They wanted this sort,of thing'to stop; they wanted : some system - proofTagainst such a state of affairs. .-■. „'/:. SECURITY OF LABOUR. Farmers were badly iv need of a Government with backbone enough to provide them with some.security in.respect of labour, continued Mr. Pqlsou, the costs of which were steadily rising, not only a3 a result of high wages, \»:t in a greater . degree in consequence of the endless and eternal restrictions imposed on production by awards. No industry.should be called, on to pay higher wages unE it" was ascertained without a' shadow of doubt that tho industry was flourishing enough to bear the burden of higher, wages. Wages' should be based on. what a man produced, and not upon what he consumed. That was the chief objection tp. the.fallacy of basing wages on thercbst of-living, alone. It was necessary that farmers should Bee that at next session the.Government should deal with the question 6n;'a better basis than., the present oiifi. ' ' Dairy control, ' eaid My. Poison, was a. difficult subject'" to deal' .with. He had never , been.. a in-ice-fixing' "fanatic. He and Colonel Essqn. had; seen-the trend of events and had. warned tlie .Government? and the producer's "in".:yaih; r -The Danes had all the control New "Zealand wanted, and if the Dominion "would now lie low for a:while. and thfen when the noisa'.lad blown over quietly- begin; on the principle's adopted by. the. Danes; New Zealand would ultimately .get; over the diffi« culty in regard to control.which had lately .-disorganised- marketing" "and co-opera* tion. . ... _. In conclusion, Mr. Poison "said fanner* had to have lower production costs, cheaper' labour, and more markets for ' their products. Town people would admit that they\\?ere "not asking: fbr "too much. If the city would help the farmer to these ends the farmer would be able to do more for' the city.j^ ,- •-.-.-.;.,:. .. . ' Tumultuous" applause greeted the conclusion of Mr. "Poison's address.