STRAIGHT TALK

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 9, 11 July 1934, Page 13

STRAIGHT TALK

ADVICE TO FARMERS

LOED BLEDISLOE'S SPEECH

PRIMARY ORGANISATION

.; His Excellency the Governor- > r - General opened 'the annual Dominion .conference "of the New Zealand <■> Farmers' Union today. In doing so I .; he delivered an impressive and frank : address in which he dealt exhaus:t tively with the problems facing the Tew Zealand primary industries and -..particularly the dairy industry, ■ which, he indicated, required internal -• Reorganisation. ' -' ■; . ■.'.'.- ---■ His Excellency said:— %-P.uring.. tho past, three, years tho ■clouds of economic depression .have = hungheavy over this Dominion, in coin-■n-inon with the rest of : the world, and the horizon, although brightening in 0 patches, has been obscured by un- . a.ln^ aJ nll^{s of international econo■'•inie separatism which are admittedly -' dUquieting^to1 a nation like this, which depends' so preponderantly upon its '~ ?Yerseas, trade, and especially disquiot- - ing. to that section of it which provides " well nigh the entirety of its exports, 'rind is now confronted with proposals for their curtailment by its beat,cust'omer, without any confident prospect * ( of .establishing a continuous and. reciprocally balanced equivalent in other That it has stood up so and well.to these conditions i .in the absence..of invested wealth, of '"", any appreciable-development of its min'.eral resources, or, of- factory production '.for export, and in face of its pitiably small capacity for. internal consuinpJ tion (due to its meagre population) of '"either its..primary or secondary^ pro- ;■ ducts, is due mainly to the quality of its material and its iucompar"ablo climate. We are not unnaturally prone, when economic- forces are 'cruelly unkind, if not actually indicative of imminent bankruptcy, to blame eijther Nature or our fellow-men, especially perhaps'those who, as the result of our votes,- are seeking to the best t of. their ability•■■■'to serve the interests vof.^tKe :c'ommunity. ;iri: Parliament and on 'local bodies. But let us frankly confess, as westand today at the parting of the way?,: on the threshold of a new cosmic order, a fresh world organisation, which is gradually aggregating " and coalescing from the broken fragr| merits b£ the old, that New Zealand ••is _'.. exceptionally • blessed—probably v above all; other upon earth-— by Nature and by its human equipment, and these surely are the two factors 'which,' turned" to ' the ' best advantage and utilised to the full, are bound to spell,success under whatever economic, social, of political dispensation a civilised world elects finally to, adjust its abnormalities and govern its affairs. I THE BbAD: TO SUCCESS. After spending' four and a half ~. strenuous years, among; you—the hap~piest;years of my life—with my eyes , open and continuously studying your economic - (and- especially your rural f, economic) problems, ' I unhesitatingly .-.say that I believe.there to ,bo no coun•_try;:in r the world; /where : the prospects . jfor the farmer are'brighter than in New ..Zealand* This! confident statement, is, r.'oi'icourse/.qualified* by,-conditions, thei .' 3 inbst-'-'yital of - which are the attain- . s.cient' of uniform' high quality: in your .^exported products; the satisfaction of the precise. requirements of your over-,->jsea : customers,' however > unreasonable ■ jth'esg imSiy seem,'the proper educational 'equipment; or,'alternatively, the eliinination'from y.our ranks, .of- wholly incompetent producers (who are a drag alike upon their .eblleagu^s^ldf their country), the- assessment" and maintenance, of land at 'its true value and its protection, agaiust ' anti-sopiaj and; excessive 'speculation,' and,' as' commodity prices improve,,a rigid' determination of every section of-the body-.pqlitie to live'in^a national sense; WeH r.within.;its means,: and: to., .reject, with selfrepressiye courage,' all ambitious national^ municipal, or local aggrandisement or embellishment which is expento maintain, as well as to provide, -cand which a s'pafsbly-populated country, ' iyrhieh' emerged from barbarism and inifitiatcd its settlement less than a centuryago, can, as yet ill afford. Of all ; the; abovo .factors of economic retro--.gressibn,' ifone is l more difficult to; cure, or. in ; its effects more calculated to recreate insecurity., permeating the whole nfabr,io.-of; the body politic, than what -:is known as,;"hbrizontal speculation," ?. whether.in land or in minerals, that is -ito" say,' speculation which, in no way 1 ■ contributes to occupational activity or (, tthe.winning Of- wealth,.. "but. merely ..places a clog in the wheels of industry. 1, congratulate you on. the improved values .of .ypu'r' staple products,' wool and" lamb, -since, you •. last met in. conference, and would have you avoid anxiety about the recent sagging tenidenoy:pf tfie 'former, iExporienced observers of the. market visualise a remunerative range of values for good quality crbssbied wool for thenext; few years.--•:'..■::: '-,;■,'■. ;..,-,- •/,-'"• / ■'' COMPLACENCY AM> PESSIMISM. ■My to you^ my fellow-farmers, orithe.eve of my.departure from among r ,you is contained in two separate quo- ■ tations .front; the best of alll books, which civas largely instrumental in making for the stability and greatness of „• our. British race, viz., " The lines' are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a~ goodly heritage," and;,''ln quietness and confidence' shall be youi strength;'? The latter quotation applies, inter alia, to oft-heard comments o>-the quality of your dairy produce, now unfortunately suffering in an abnormal degree'from prolonged depreciation. Of those whose seemingly authoritative' statements are reproduced periodically; in the public Press, some Swb'uld have'us-believe that Now Zca- ■ larid -daify produce is the best in the . worldj arid 'other's that it is inferior in . most respects to that of its chief competitors on"■'tne.-'Bfi'tisTr market. Self--satisfied-complacency and uurcasoning ■ pessimism evoked by' destructive criti-'-tism are alike inimical to tlio attainment of that trade '■'good will" based ipon comparative excellence which secures those few extra shillings per ewt that make, the whole difference between profit and loss to the farmer. '\,Th'ere is no country in which'the conditions of climate, soil, and pasturage are more favourable to dairy farming than in- New Zealand; but few, if any, in which its milk products are solack- " ing in uniformity. This is beginning to be realised by farmers • and- faetorriesj anda'temeflyris:sought':in differentiating on the British market between "the output of the North and. South Islands or that of one district and another. I cannot .believe that that is 'the path, of true wisdom any more than 'it would be for. the Bane to offer the 'British housewife a choice between "-Zealand;: Funen,.; land' Jutland • butter. Bather should .the objective be to level up the,standard of the nation's worst to that'of its best, and to make this the laudable aim of all concerned in each branch-of; the industry. "We condemn economic nationalism as a foe ,ro industrial progress, but surely economic provincialism within the confines ,'of a nation is still moro to be fleproeated, if the trade-good will of a na-

tion is to be maintained and consoli-: dated abroad. A (SAP THAT MUST BE CLOSED. The scientists , and those who courageously and patiently are carrying ou to the farms of this Dominion those products of research which have undoubted commercial value aro doing work of incalculable. value for which posterity will thank them. There aro farmers of great experience, ability, and high achievement in this country, just as there aTe others who (often from no conscious fault of their own) cannot be so described. Just as there is a wide gap in quality' between the best of your cattle and pigs and the worst, so there is between tho quality and achievements of the most efficient and least efficient of the farming community of this, naturally highly-fav-oured country. It is this gap which needs steadily, patiently, and constructively to bo closed. • For the credit of your country's output is more likely to be damnified by its worst than enhanced by its best. Individual productive efficiency thus loses its duo monetary reward and the general feeling of insecurity in times of poriodio depression is materially augmented, with the consequent and not unnatural searching after, political—or. at. least governmental—remedies for economic ills, or, what is perhaps even worse, a . growing impression that competing countries 'enjoy some natural advantage against which it would be hopeless for New Zealand to carry on a competitive struggle. As we stand on the threshold of a new era, when "planning'? is the order of the day and science is the fingerpost to the haven, of economic success, let us clarify our vision so far as New Zealand farmers are concerned. First, as I have indicated) you -'have., the best climate in the world for the conduct of your most interesting, most patriotic, and most vital of all corirmercial pursuits. Secondly/ you have, speaking generally, soils of exceptional fertility (many of tliem^ possessing admittedly chemical deficiencies of lime, phosphates, or iron—which, however, can easily and inexpensively be made good) and capable of yielding crops, especially of grass and clover, unsurpassed in quality anywhere in the world. Thirdly, you enjoy (and I most earnestly entreat you to do all in your power to maintain and justify) a friendly confidence on the part of your Homeland customers extended in like measure to no other national supplier of her essential requirements. Fourthly, you have a virile, ; well-educated, usually resourceful and courageous rural population, with fine pioneer traditions behind it which enhance its self-respect and tend to stimulate .self-reliant enterprise. /True it is that.you operate in an isolated mid-oceanic territory half-the-world distant from your best, and almost your.only, market.,, But your maririe transport arid the scientific storage aboard'of your exported commodities are steadily improving year by year, and'the. remarkable results.-of low temperature research work at Cambridge .'University and elsewhere ( are making it clear that the handicaps imposed by long-distance transport arc gradually being minimised and, except in the matter ,of freight charges, arc destined ultimately to be obliterated. But it would riot be difficult to prove that, making a generous allowance for this handicap of long-distance transport, your outstanding natural advantages place you on balance in a favourable position "by contrast with your oversea competitions. Suggestions that there is something, in the herbage of Denmark or Canada which enables the butter of the former or. the cheese of the-latter to command an extra 10s per cwt in the -British .market cannot be substantiated, in fact, seeing that in each case the cattle are stall ■ fed. for tho. greater, part of tho year; and. are ■(ieiiied the fresh herbage —their natural fbod^—with which-ybti are able to furnish them for at rleast. .riiiio months, in the year and perhaps the whole year round.' ,■'.-."■' ' ■ FARMERS MUST CONTROL '~ . •". PLANNING." . ".' ' What ■■ then. is wanted, my. fellow farmers and agricultural friends, :to achieve success? Is it not in the main a greater diversification of individual" farming (so that all your eggs may not be in one possibly unprofitable basket), coupled ."-with1 a greater: uniformity tHroughOut the- Dominion in the stands aid of-husbandry and consequently in the quality.and. description.of its out-put--^a ' quality and uniformity which will-'justify'arid niake feasible a tighten"ing;up of the gradiiig^at your ports comparably' with that (far more severe) which is practised-in the case of butter at Copenhagen or. Aarhus in Denmark? How, you may reasonably ask, is this" to be done? Is it by Government intervention and control? 'As nominal head of the Government, I answer emphatically "Noi" -No : Government can waive its responsibility for the economic welfare of, its 'people and Govern^ ment organisation and direction may perhaps be necessary or desirable in initiating a new' and more salutary system'of production, factory conversion, distribution or x transport. But if •' planning on a' national scale is an essential condition of the assured and continuous prosperity of primary producers—as I am confident that it is— the-eventual control' must be that'of the farmers themselves, as it has long.been in Denmark, as it was in Great Britain during the war and is becoming \so there again now, and as is contemplated in Canada arid elsewhere. Self-control and mutual control, rather than Government control, must be the objective, and this needs to be exercised in tho direction of steadily levelling up the standard of efficiency of all the farmers in the Dominion as'well as of their livestock, upon--the. quality, suitability, pro duetivity, and constitution of which their livelihood so largely depends. It is, in fact, a bridging of the wide gap in the quality of human efficiency, and of that of your, varied livestock and their respective products by the combined .efforts of the farmers themselves, captained, by common consent, by men of capacity, enlightenment and penetrat-ing-vision, which, is,, above all, needed to achieve and maintain economic salvation. There are in your powerful union and indeed in-this room many men answering to this description. Upon their wise leadership the welfare of this Dominion in the coming decade in my judgment mainly depends. lam confident that they will not prove unworthy of the trust reposed in them and of the high responsibility wind) they carry. Among these insistent problems I have included the suitability of your livestock for tho exact function expected of them. If, for instance, in a cheeseraaking area the type of cattle are unsuitcd to the production of prime cheese, or that of beef cattle for the new and relatively profitable chilled beef trade now opening up for.you, or that of your pigs (an indispensable concomitant of your dairy industry and calculated to add 2d per lb to your butterfat values) for curing in England to satisfy the taste of the British artisan, Iwould lirge you systematically and courageously to alter the type, so that the full reward of your- enterprise and labour may not be denied to you through defects in the raw material of your industry. THE BEST ADVERTISEMENT. Advertisement admittedly has its value and is nowadays indispensable to full public recognition of industrial production. But just as "good wine needs no bush" so inherent and uniform quality is the best of all advertisements and most likely to foster profit^ able trade; Let mc give you from my own experience a small illustration of this. Recently I made an Easter gift to English residents -of some small parcels of butter, ordering them through a well-known export merchant and stipulating for the very best quality. They'

wore.sent respectively to a member of my family, to my. estate agent in Gloucestershire, to the secretary of my London club, and to a lady of some social distinction living in the West End of London. Each gift was somewhat in excess of personal requirements. The surplus was sent in the first caso to a friend who had married the headmaster of a largo private school, with the result that thereafter 400 boys were supplied with Now Zealand butter who had never, tasted it before; iv the second case (that of my estato agent), it was handed to the son of tho largest multiple-shop purveyor in th& Forest of Dean, who was about to marry his daughter, with tho result that several thousand coal miners made the acquaintance of New Zealand butter for the first time; in thu third case, it was sampled by tho club committee, and butter of the sanio description has since been available to all its members, numbering over 2000; and in the last case the lady recipient was so much impressed with its flavour and freshness that she insistently demanded that tho same New Zealand butter bo thereafter supplied to her by the large West End grocers who enjoyed her. custom, with the result that they stocked it for the first time, and it is now in large demand in that fashionable quarter of London. Par be it fronfmeto say that all New Zealand butter is of this high quality. Suffice it to state that when it is, it provides its own best advertisement. Pasteurisation is no doubt ' desirablo in this dominion, but-let it be clearly understood that no amount of pasteurisation will completely nullify tho initial bacterial deterioration which comes from inadequately-scoured dairy utensils or the non-use of a cold water cooler immediately after milking. In cheese, too, a commodity which probably has more permanent futurb economic stability because it is less easy to replace with cheap substitutes, you have every reason to be confident of an assured market and remunerative return when normal1 conditions recur, if high grade uniformity can but be attained as the result of co-operative effort on the part of - all farmers and factories throughout the Dominion who are concerned in this branch of the dairy industry/ For has not New Zealand won at the last London Dairy Show the premier award and silver trophy for the finest cheese sent there from any part of the overseas British Empire? Heartily do I congratulate Kelso (in Southern. Otago) in winning this distinction for the Dominion and for its own province, and would suggest that those who are interested in producing what Britain wants and in securing uniformity in the Dominion's output might deem it-worth while to study the nature of tlje milk supplied to the Kelso factory and the methods of manufacture employed within it. MORE MILK SHOULD BE USED. It is well to bear constantly in mind that whereas both Great Britain and New Zealand are suffering from excess production" of milk, there are no two civilised countries in the world which consume less milk (and thin cream) per head of population. It is fair to assume that, as iii England, so. also in New Zealand, an appreciable proportion of the numerous inmates of your hospitals, which are a heavy charge upon public funds, owe their ailments to infantile or juvenile malnutrition due. to insufficiency of milk. .'■ You, are, thanks to yemr climate, fortunately free in New Zealand from widely prevalent animal diseases, but you' have two bovine maladies -which will involve somewhat serious losses to stock owners unless they are kept in check, and, as they are' communicable to human beings, their prevalence may appreciably affect tho health of the community. One is .maminitis and tho other contagious .abortion. I much hope that the wise counsel given by the Department of Agriculture on both these subjects will, bo scrupulously followed throughout. the' Dominion. RESTRICTION ON STOCK \ IMPORTATION. Among the remits" which :you will bo discussing at your: conference I' desire to refer to two only, and they relate to the same subje'et; namely,' the continuous restriction imposed upon the importation of pedigree live stock from Great Britain. As this is a problem which strikes at the root of the whole pastoral industry of; New Zealand, and therefore of its- national prosperityj I cannot, on such an occasion as this, preserve silence. Iwant; earnestly to beg of those who1 are asking the Government to perpetuate 'the' existing embargo to examine the facts and accept as reliable the testimony of those who, as the result of research, professional experience, and a wider knowledge of world conditions, are able to give the best advice. As regards my own qualifications to- express an opinion, I may claim to have moro experience of foot and mouth disease than any layman in' England^ for I have had in my hands for several years the administration of animal diseases,in'Great-Britain... I sat as vice-chairman twenty years ago on the Parliamentary Committee which explored for many months the nature and history of this disbase'and its means of transmission, taking evidence from tho greatest living authorities upon; the subject, and (shortly before coming here) headed; a mission on behalf of the British Government to South.', America, whore the disease is .more' prevalent than it is anywhere in the world, to investigate its possible transmissibility to Britain in the bone1 marrow "of chilled carcasses, and I unhesitatingly and confidently assert that, 'with tho drastic methods adopted in Britain for its local suppression, when occasionally it occurs, and the extremely efficient system •of quarantine tp, which- all animals for export are subjected, not to mention the long voyage and the. short period of incubation of the disease^ th'ero is not the faintest chance of the disease being carried by 'any live" animal from the Homeland to New' Zealand. The risk of disease in lifting your importation embargo is nil;"the risk to your own welfare and to your national prosperity in continuing it is serious. I am confident that you will find it impossible to hold your own in oversea .. markets against your many keen and alert compotitors unless you introduce fresh blood into many of your breeds. of cattle, sheep, and pigs, as kept1 by the ordinary commercial farmers Of this country arid at a price which,they can afford to pay.. This desideratum is rendered more urgent in view of the hopeful prospect. of a remunerative trade in chilled beef and of bacon pigs for which the present typo of most of your beef cattle and of your swine respectively is not at all well suited. NEW WHEAT VARIETIES. In no field of agricultural research has more valuable work been done during the pastjtwo years than in that of wheat improvement under the direction of Dr. Hilgendorf at the wheat Research Institute in Canterbury—work which seems to promise definite commercial .advantago to wheat-growing farmers. After much experimental breeding the institute has produced a cross (known as;" Cross 7") between I' White ;Fife" (a high-quality Canadian wheat) and "College Tuscan," which appears to combine .high yield and baking "strength," with freedom from lodging and from the wind-thresh-ing which has proved so. detrimental in this Dominion tp the, raising of the moi'e glutinous wheats which are' required by the miller and baker for blending, and which have hitherto been imported from Australia and Canada. This new wheat has already been put on the market in limited quantities. As it should command^ a substantially higher price 'than "Hunter's" or "Tuscan," it will bo interesting to' noto tho results achieved with it by tho Canterbury and Hangitikei farmers. I venture to hope that it may be

found possible in this Dominion, in the highest public interest, to achieve harmonious , co-operation between town and country, factory-and farni. The greatest patriot in time of peace is he who, in a spirit of equity and "impartiality seeks to reconeilo the two differences of outlook there must needs be from time to time between those engaged in primary production and those engaged in mining and factory enterprise, but these should not be acute in a country whore most factory operations are so intimately concerned with tho output of the land. There should ever be borne in mind that any illbalariecd economic policy which is contrary to national well being is in the long run detrimental and costly to all sections of the population alike. I take this opportunity, in case it be the last that I shall have, of expressing through your union to the farmers of New Zealand my profound sympathy with them in their past and present distresses, my deep admiration of the^r pluck and resourcefulness in time of acute adversity, and my sincere good wishes for their success in the brighter days whiek> lie ahead of us. I can promise you that if, on my return to the Old Land—the chief centre of distribution of your products—l find it possible to advance your interests in any way, I shall not fail to do so, . I have pleasure in declaring open this conference, and. trust that its deliberations may materially advance the well .being of your great industry and consequentially that of this Dominion.