THE FARMER’S POSITION.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 23 July 1924, Page 7

THE FARMER’S POSITION.

(To the Editor.) Sir. —I read your leading article in Saturday’s paper with great interest- re the moratorium. Of course we view things from a- different viewpoint—he from the town point; myself the country. A man in town does not quite realise what is going on in the country. As one of your most capable men in Hawera told Mr Semple last week, he wanted to get out among the people aiid stock agents. It was the same with Mr Massey. What idea could he form P ,As a rule people do not go to a smoke concert to trot out their.troubles, and in many cases people who attend them are in a good position. But if you allowed him access to your files he would find that at least two-thirds of the sales are forced. Now, there have been quite a lot of land sales, but 1 am not myself aware of any sale except where forced through; that does not always appear. Then 1 notice you trust “the mortgagees will do what* they can to lighten the burden.” It is just as well to .keep on trusting, for that is about all that will be done. In‘most cases they reduce if they can get nothing. I will quote one case out of many. One man through bad luck had to give up a farm and hand it back. He had paid down £3OOO cash, and offered £250 if the mortgagee would qry enough. But he wanted his pound of tiesh, with the result that he had to go through, it was only a small place, and had not gone back much, if.<at all. And that is only one of many cases. It is all very well to lift the moratorium, and perhaps the right thing; but if you .will go to the trouble ot enquiring of any of the solicitors or lending firms you will find it almost impossibe to raise money, except on first mortgage, and then only SU-50 at the best, if the Government and people want to come back to a 1914 basis let them start at the top, with M.lVs for preference, and knock off some of the big salaries (there are too many £IOOO a year men in this country compared to the workers), and also get on to some of the profiteers. Take boots. You cannot get a good pair of boots under £2. Take hides. Take Abraham and Williams’ report —prime heavy ox Sjfd, light ox s;'d, heavy cow old, light 4d—rather less than 1914. Yet boots are at least double the price. Take bacon —rashers Is 2d to Is 3d. Price paid to farmers, as per your paper, sj-d to s|d. Then I notice in a banker’s speech in Wellington he resents Government interference ; but I have a very good memory sometimes, and I do not remember that the Bank of New Zealand made any objection when the said Government came to the rescue and saved them. It is also reported that a very short time ago a banker in Wellington was approached re helping a firm pay their depositors, and his reply was: “We have no time for them; we are out to teach them a lesson and not take their money from us.” Well, if that is the case, the sooner farmers take a hand the better. On two ships alone in a few more days we shal have another 800, or thereabouts, people to provide for, but unless productive work can be found for them what is the good of them coming out. We have the land, but not the money to work it. Now, if you increase the carrying of a farm, say, a 1000 sheep, that means £SOO for wool at Is 3d per lb, another £1250 for mutton taking wethers at 255, a reasonable price. That means £1750. Well, that is no fancy, because I can prove it from practice on a run-out place. But if money cannot be got, well the places must go'back. Yet I see in Auckland they can get £190,000 for a war memorial museum, about £200,000 for a zoo, and another railway station at a cost of £1,500,000. None of these will produce one extra pound towards paying interest, which in the end must come from the land. Ninety-eight per cent must come from the land. There is no other source. Of course Auckland is no worse than other towns. Not many years ago 60 per cent of the people were on the land, 40 per cent in towns. Now it is the reverse, as I read it is 40 per cent producing 60 per cent spending. Of course to a point the towns are quite as necessary to the country as the country to "the towns, but they must not overbalance. Trusting I may be excused this long letter.— I am, etc., OLD FARMER.