“Health And Security"— Importance Of Farming

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 September 1949, Page 8

“Health And Security"— Importance Of Farming

. .'•.•BY.

“FARMERESS” j \

‘J'hc development of small farm holdings oh the West Coast, and the need for recognition .of the trite social standing of farm* ers and. their families are dealt with in the following article. . The : part played by life in the country in developing the youth of the country along sound lines is stressed by the . writer, who also says that the security offered by a small farm, in the present times, more than offsets the harder work required to earn a smaller return than city workers. The cultivation of the soil is the most important occupation .of . all in a district like the West Coast/ with its mild climate, and . adequate rainfall so necessary to certain crops arid to dairy farming.. .Farming is of firstclass importance for it is the true wealth of a country. By the fruits of the soil we live. Everyone is aware how much a country’s prosperity depends on a farming class with an assured social status and a firm moral foundation. The farmers are - the backbone • and the bulwark •of the country. They command the highest respect. Their lives are directed towards bringing forth from the soil the abundant wealth stored there, and. in a social sense they are important in that their families form communities for the consumption of goods as well as . the production of them. Farming life is rooted in the family and from, this comes a farmer’s economic strength and power of endurance through-times of crisis or danger to the nation. Family Character

A farming concern has a distinctly family character hence its great importance to the social and economic prosperity of the district and of the nation as a whole. Farming has proved its importance for the proper development ' of order throughout the nation. It is a source and bulwark of uncorrupted and moral living. It fosters the growth of men and women sound in mind and body for every wall: of life. The land and rural life should be everyone’s concern, whether he be a townsman or a countryman. The cleavage which exists today between town and country and the lack of understanding and sympathy between them is symptomatic of a social illness which must be cured. In this connection President Truman has said:—“Farmers and city or townspeople, particularly working people, are like the fingers of a hand, or the parts of a body. They are dependent on one another. I must emphasise their mutual dependence.” Need For Population

Perhaps the secret of the future prosperity of our district and the West- Coast generally is increased population. Good settlers are needed, of British or European stock who are rural minded and who cherish the land in a way we find hard to understand. Many of these people are land hungry and would be content with small holdings. They are experts in the utilising of every foot of their soil in the cultivation of quick-grow-ing crops such as early potatoes, lettuce, spinach, cabbage and small fruits—gooseberries, raspberries etc. all of these or nearly all are at present imported from Canterbury or the

North Island which adds to their cost to the consumer. In the Grey district there are acres of unused land which could be brought into production for such crops without much trouble or expense except the labour of an industrious man-and his family. The small farm system enables land of indifferent quality to yield a good output under intensive cultivation, for sowing every inch of his land the farmer can give close perspnal attention needed for specialised' crops of high quality some of which 1 cannot be mass produced successfully. . Men and women' who love the country should turn their thoughts to small farming to make a home for their families and a haven, for their old age. ' . - Home Secure ' In bad times the small farm man may have less cash and less leisure and recreation than the labourer with a fixed . wage and regular working hours, but his job and his home are secure and whatever happens he still contrives to keep his family well fed, and to feed others with his surplus? When depressions and slumps come and town and city dwellers with worried minds and Rejected hearts look for help doled out by well-paid officials of the State, the farmer’s wife can go to her well-stocked larder and the family.can live well on the good things stored there. They can live on the produce of the farm—poultry, eggs, milk, honey, potatoes and fruit. And so in lean times the family reverts as far as possible to “family subsistence” and carries through, for depressions do not last for ever. A well known English authority on “Farming and the Land”—Sir Daniel Hall—says: “Small holdings provide an outlet for those men of strong individuality who often fit btftlly into an organised urban society and factory discipline. When working on their own they become valuable citizens instead of unsettled discontented even dangerous elements in the population.” Stabilising Factor

The farmer —small or large—is a stabilising factor in an unsettled world and a restless national atmosphere, because he is immune from strikes and urban agitation. He and his family are independent of the health-conscious scheme of “milk and apple supply” to schools. Their liberal consumption of their own fresh produce makes for good health which represents an asset that cannot be measured in terms of money. We should press for projects for reclamation and other schemes demanding scientific knowledge of agriculture; given these there should be a bright future in store for those who choose the land as a way of life, and increased prosperity for the Grey district.