DETERIORATION OF

Grey River Argus, 12 August 1944, Page 3

DETERIORATION OF

FARMS Problem on West Coast SPECIAL COM'MITTEE SET UP A decision to set up a mittee to investigate' the deterioration of lands on the West reached by the West Coast Council of Primary Production at its meeting at Greymouth yesterday. The committee will enlist the support of all persons having helpful suggestions to make and will discuss the matter with Mr. R. P. Connell, Fields Superintendent, Department of Agriculture, Christchurch, on his next visit to the West Coast. The matter was raised bv the chairman of the Council (Mr. D. B. Jellie) who said that Hari Hari which was once quite a good little flat, was now a mass of rushes and moss. He did not know whether the trouble was freight rates, lack of fertiliser, or shortage of labour, but something should be done about it. Many of the holdings in that district were too big, but it should be nossible to keep a part of them in good order. Mr. M. Minehan said it was a pity that timber lorries going back through the district empty could not cart lime. The chairman said that an offer had been made that these lorries would cart lime for 5s a ton. However the freight service was charging only 10s a ton. Mr. W. Vallance said there were three difficulties. There was not a big enough return for the farmer, he could not get as much'fertiliser as he used to, and freight charges were too high. Mr. W. Clayton said there was a good' deal in what Mr. Vallance said. There was no incentive for a man to keep his farm up these days. The chairman said that Arahura was probably looking as well as it had ever looked and no doubt he expected other districts looked the same.

Mr. G. G. M. Mitchell said that rather than have large sums of money spent, as had been suggested, on grandoise schemes .of river control, it might be better to divert some expenditure in the first instance to rehabilitating farm lands such as those which had been mentioned. Mr. Minehan suggested that the Government should again bring in the 4B Scheme which was one of the best schemes he knew of for clearing land. A similar view was expressed by Mr. Clayton.

Mr Mitchell nointed out that the fund from which the monye for this scheme was provided was practically exhaused.

The chairman expressed himself in favour of the idea of community sets of implements which was being taken up elsewhere. if"such a scheme were subsidised by the Government, he said, it would do much to clear up the land. The secretary (Mr. J. Mulcare said he would like to see an investigating committee set up and go about and' collect evidence on the matter of the deterioration of farm lands generally. It could co-op'erate, too, with other interested persons, and., with other bodies, such as the Progress League. There must be a reason whypeople were going out of production. It was everybody’s concern, and it should be suggested to the Government that they should do something about it. West Coast farmers were paid the same price for butter fat as was paid elsewhere, where the farming community might be nearer to transport facilities, for instance, all farmers here were handicapped for a start by having to pay more for fertiliser. Surely that should have some effect on their return. Mr. Clavton said it was useless to put down grew pasture if there was not the superphosate available to hold it. He though there should be a reclassification of West Coast land, and land unsuitable for farming but suitable for example, for trees, should be used for trees. Mr. Mitchell asked what trees were going to be grown here. Indigenous trees took 600 or 700 years to show a profit. West Coast soil lacked two chemicals, boron and cobalt, which were essential to the life of trees.

Mr. H. G. Carter expressed the view that no progress would be made unless the co-cmerative principle was adonted. He thought that if a sound co-or;erative movement was started in any district the Government would not fail to subsidise its efforts. Where farmers were holding big areas .of land there would have to be provision for others to share it. The days of men holding more land than they could handle were gone. Mr. Vallance said there would be difficulty in applying a co-operative system on the West Coast, where it was necessary when there were a few fine days for every farmer to set tp on his own farm and make the most of it.

Mr. Carter said it would make a big difference if machinery for large scale operations’was used. It was finally decided, on the motion of Mr. Mulcare, to set up a committee to collaborate with all .other interested parties in conducting 'n investigation into the deterioration of farm properties on the West Coast. The chairman and the secretary, and Messrs Clavton and Vallance were appointed members of the committee. It was agreed that the matter be discussed with Mr. Connell, Fields Superintendent to the Department of Agriculture, during his next visit to the West Coast.