LEAVING THE LAND?

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 140, 15 June 1928, Page 14

LEAVING THE LAND?

m: coates's reply i PRODUCTION INCREASING A further reply to the repeated statements that producers are abandoning their holdings was made by the Prime Minister (the Eight Hon. J. G. Coates) iv his pre-sessional address last evening. Much political capital was being attempted to bo made, ho said, in the cry that men were leaving the land. To lend colour to the statements, critics chose to quote from the peak year 1922---2-23. 'The decrease in tho five-year period to 1920-27 was only 2590 instead of 13,581; and further, that decrease was ontirely due to a decliuo in the female numbers of 3092: The males actually showed an increase of 396. The increasing use of electricity and machinery had to be considered; and, further, tho economic pressure bearing upon the man on the land. If a farmer employed six men, and by the use of machinery or co-operating with his neighbours he could reduce his employees to three, he would do so. THE BEST ANSWER. The best answer to the criticism he was referring to, he said, was by asking: "Well, how is it that production is not falling?" Undoubtedly, if the statement was borne out, reduced production would be the result. Par from that being the case, production had increased. PRODUCTION INCBEASING. The essential and satisfactory point to note was that whatever evolution was taking place, production in our staple commodities was increasing, and our credit stood higher to-day than ever. He instanced the tremendously successful flotation of the recent 4£ per cent, loan in London as indicating the high-water mark at which our national credit stands, and said that this surely was a tribute to tho sound administration of the Dominion's affairs. . During the year ending 31st March last the, number of subdivisions of Crown lands was 1913, comprising 4G0,----500 acres, while for the ten years ending the same date there were 10,943 subdivisions comprising 5,307,000 acres.