The Hawera Star. TUESDAY, JUNE 19, 1928. THE PRIMARY PRODUCER.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 19 June 1928, Page 6

The Hawera Star.

TUESDAY, JUNE 19, 1928. THE PRIMARY PRODUCER.

Delivered every evening by f> o’clock in Hawera. Hanaio. Kormanby, Okaiawa, Bltham. Mangratoki. Kaponga, Alton, Hurleyville Patoa. Waverlev. Mo„oia. Wtaakamara, Ohangai, Meremere. Frasef Boat), and Ararata.

In discussing the question of unemployment in the course of his speech at the annual meeting of shareholders of the Bank of Now Zealand, the chairman, Sir George Elliot, had something to say about the trend of education and the drift from the country to town which, though containing little which, had not been expressed before, certainly made some useful contributions to n consideration of the subject in terms which allowed of no misunderstanding. The speaker said that one of the troubles of the present day was that as soon a® a boy left school he turned away from farming towards the seemingly easier and bettor paid work of the cities, and he submitted the suggestion that the trend of teaching should' be given a 'bins towards primary production. Ho also advanced the suggestion that a higher standard of efficiency should be demanded of primary school pupils before they- are sent on to seconiflaxy schools. The reasonnibleness of this hitter suggestion will be admitted by thoughtful people, but we doubt whether the chairman of the ban It. or any of the people who agree .with him privately would care to give expression ■to such views were they candidafois for political honours. Every teacher must know of instances where boys have been sent on to high school, and university who would; have been, very much better employed in learning some trade rather than striving to paws- the examinations for entrance to a profession—boys who might have risen to- heights of usefulness to the community and themselves in the work for which they showed aptitude and who almost certainly would never be anything better than "secondraters’’ in some profession not suited to their temperament and ability. But there is not. much to be hoped for from any advocacy of the need for restrictions and guidance in this direction.

A certain section of the community would at once sec in any sucli proposal the hand of “class consciousness’ ’ and declare it to be ibut aimotkor • outcome of f lic machinations of one class' against the interests of another. But if ire allow flic 'educational authorities to guide us in. this matter and insist on continuing to make round' pegs for square holds, with consequent loss to the community and to the individual, we can at least see .the force of the argument in favour of directing more attention towards the scope' and advantages offered by rural occupations when the case is put forward in such terms as •Sir George Elliot employed. He pointed out that the Official Year Book shows that in 1921 the total number of bread-winners' in the Dominion was a little over half a million, of whom fewer than one-third 1 were engaged in primary production. But according to the latest available figures (1925-26) the Dominion’s total production for flic year was worth about £116,000,000, of which primary producers' contributed £82,000,000. That is to say, primary producers, though they are fewer than one-third of the total number of breadwinners, ' contribute more than twothirds of the national wealth; or in other words two-thirds of the Dominion ’» bread-winners contribute less than ©n-c-third of her wealth, so that one primary producer “does more for the material welfare of the Dominion than four engaged in secondary and other industries. ’ ’ Figures like these a're of course only approximate, but they are accurate enough to show how very much more important it is to encouragel farming than any other occupation. But as the chairman pointed out, the d#ift is away from farming nearly all along the line. Something is certainly being attempted to stop this loss andi cheek this drift, but remains' to be done .that the position is still serious. The farmer .must be the first concern of any party which seeks to govern the country to /the best aidvantage of all who live in it—-secondary n.s well as primary producer.