FARMERS’ OUTLOOK.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 149, 25 May 1934, Page 7

FARMERS’ OUTLOOK.

SERIES OF PROBLEMS.

UNION PRESIDENT’S VIEWS.

Mr Hugh Morrison (Wairarapa) in his presidential address at the opening of the Interprovincial Conference of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union at Wanganui yesterday said that a few years ago there was a trend toward internationalism. To-day the ivorld was getting back to nationalism —each country trying to live within itself. The world was going through one of the transitionary stages which were said to occur every 100 years. As exporters of foodstuffs the position vitally affected New Zealanders. It was thought that a market could lie found in Canada for butter, in New York for meat, and so on, but those countries had decided to live within themselves. _ Not only that, Great Britain was talking of quotas, and Now Zealand, which had regarded herself as part of an Empire “farm,” found that she also had to face losing some of her markets there. The subject of quotas brought an atmosphere of indecision to the farming community, and the speaker thought that it was a matter which could only be handled by the Governments of the two countries working in close negotia-| tion. DAIRY SITUATION. So far as the dairy industry was concerned, Mr Morrison said that it was wise to leave discussion alone as a commission was now sitting. It would be time enough to discuss that important subject when the commission’s findings were made known. He defended the raised exchange, and said that it was saving the dairy farmer from ruin. England, going off the gold standard in 1931, and the depreciation in currency, had resulted in the farmers of this country obtaining 58 per cent, on prices. If it had not been for those two factors, wool, which was at ninepence to-day, would be round about fourpence. The next step which would follow in the wake of depreciated currency was a reduction of interest. The banks would be flooded with money and the rate on overdrafts would be forced down. “We want a quick remedy for the dairy-farmer,” said Mr Morrison, “and to my mind the quickest way to relieve him would be for the prices of wool to keep up.” The speaker showed that by that means many who had been forced into dairying would relinquish it. Such would have the effect of bringing about a reduction of exports to the Old Country, and, in itself, would inflict a “quota” which Britain so much desired. RESEARCH DESIRABLE. Speaking of wool generally, Mr Morrison said that he was firmly convinced that research would have to be undertaken. He instanced the gap which showed in prices between the wools of the South Island, of fine counts, compjred with those of the North. It was as much as fourpence and fivepence per lb. North Island farmers were breeding a dual-purpose sheep —for both fat iambs and wool. He was satisfied now that the Massey College scheme of research would have to be undertaken, and that North Island farmers would have to breed a class of sheep which produced the right type of wool as well as the right type of lamb. He felt that that could be done, but only by research. The speaker also referred to the enormous amount of research work which was going on in the cotton industry. The wool industry had to keep pace. Transportation in New Zealand was another subject Mr Morrison referred to. The annual cost of land transport in relation to the value of production in New Zealand was just on 50 per cent. In 1914 the cost of road transport was £12,700,000 odd- In. 1932 it had risen to £33,000,000 odd. The time was certainly ripe for co-ordin-ation.