MORE PRODUCTION

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 April 1927, Page 5

MORE PRODUCTION

A NATIONAL SLOGAN MINISTER’S CAUSTIC SPEECH (Special to "Star.”) AUCKLAND, April 14. “The settling of additional population on the land is an important matter,” said the Minister of Lands (Mr. McLeod) in a speech at Thames, last evening, “but in my own opinion, it falls short for the moment of importance of stabilising the position of those already on the land, and to that end every effort is being put forth by the Government. “To croak about people having paid too much for their land, may in some respects be pardonable, but how far is such croaking getting us. Nowhere. There are thousands of armchair critics who apparently can. point to the reason for the present depression, but few are able to make a sensible suggestion for a solution. It is humorous to read of attempts made by some people to cast upon other shoulders what is more or less everyone’s responsibility. When it is stated that more production is needed, every finger is pointed toward the man on the land, with the. cry that he should get busy and produce more. Even today, the farmer is doing wonders in that respect, and in the main, it’s taking him and his family 12 hours. “I don’t suggest that those in other walks of life should be asked to accept less wages or remuneration, but I don’t thing the slogan “More Production,” is being accepted in its narrowest sense. It is a slogan for all and not for farmers alone, and means that everyone should do more and save more in return for wages, salaries incomes and dividends received. At the moment we may seem to be rather up against it, but the country is alright, if all sections of the community put forward their best efforts.

“There are altogether too many rocking the boat, when pulling the oars is what is wanted.”