AN ENGLISH VIEW

North Canterbury Gazette, Volume 7, Issue 59, 26 November 1937, Page 7

AN ENGLISH VIEW

Control of Farming by the

State

WILL FARMER BE LEFT FREE?

“The State is paying the piper fairly substantial sums, but while it exercises a little restraint over some of his actions, its only method of calling the tune is to offer special rewards for certain specified melodies. “Some people may say that the payments should be larger, or different in form or in distribution; others perhaps may think that with so much foreign music available, it does not greatly matter what our piper plays. But at any rate the fact is that the selection of the tunes is ultimately determined only by individual choice. “And one can hardly help asking, somewhat anxiously, whether, if the system of payments, in their various forms, is to be continued or extended, the freedom and independence of the piper can be maintained.” “TO drop the metaphor, if it be the policy of the State to preserve and support the, farmer, at consider,able cost, is he to cultivate and crop his land, to produce meat or milk or other products, as he thinks best, without any dictation as to methods, quantity or quality?” asked Mr J. M. Caie, speaking on State Intervention in Agriculture at the British Association (states “Public Opinion,” London). “I would emphasise that the question is not whether the farmer should be supported and protected, but only whether there is a possibility that, sooner or later, certain consequences may follow from that policy. It is true that it is difficult for a Government to pass and to administer an unwelcome law; but if Government aid were made conditional on Government control, the farmer, however distasteful he found it, might be induced to swallow the pill for the sake of the gilding.

Is the Farmer to be Left Free?

“It may be argued that tho State, in return for its expenditure, whether in the form of direct payments or of artificially raised prices, is entitled to demand not only certain goods, but a certain standard of performance, a view that found expression in Part IV. of the Corn. Production Act, which gave ‘Power to enforce proper cultivation.’ In response to that argument, it may be claimed that if the farmer is to be bound to produce commodities of a kind, quality and amount determined according to the kind and area of his land, he should be insured against any loss incurred in the process. “That leads to the further question: if he is to be insured against loss, is he to be left free to make unlimited profits, should his efforts prove successful? It is easy to follow out this line of thought and to see complete control, including rents as well as wages, following in due course, and, indeed, the ultimate incorporation of every agriculturist in the Civil Service! Possibly this is all merely academic speculation, but given the premise of State support, the subsequent reasoning does not seem to be entirely fallacious. Whether the conclusion, if it were ever reached, would be a desirable one, is a matter for individual opinion. “The State is, of course, entitled to pay for those commodities the production of which it wishes to maintain or increase, or to come to the rescue of those whom it deems most needful or deserving of succour. If, for instance, ‘nutrition’ policy required an increase of, say, meat, or milk, or fresh vegetables, or if the agriculture of one part of the country were, for some reason, in special jeopardy, the disbursement of funds for such purposes would appear to be perfectly legitimate. “But if it were a permanent policy for the State to support British agriculture in general, it might perhaps be desirable to survey the whole industry, its place in the social and economic structure of the country, its present and potential capacity to meet the food requirements of the people, and its relation to international trade. “These subjects are no doubt being studied now, but it can hardly be claimed that the study is complete. Perhaps it never can be completed, for many of the factors are far from static. But if a comprehensive, reliable, and possibly continuous survey could be made, it might form the basis oil whcih

State aid might be allocated equitably, from time to time, to those branches of the industry which it was desired, in the public interest, to encourage and in proportions according to their needs. But on this assumption, the shadow of State control still lurks darkly in the background.

“Observation, supported by careful economic investigation, shows that the personal factor is still one of enormous importance. Within one parish, even on neighbouring farms, great disparity in farming practice and results may be found. The man of enterprise and adaptability, the man who is eager to acquire new information, to test new methods in the light of his practical experience, and to apply his mind to the business management of his undertaking, he is the man who is least clamant for State subvention to help him in balancing his accounts. “Education and research, both scientific and economic, have yet many gifts in store, gifts the acceptance of which carries no penalties. If they be accepted willingly and applied diligently, is it not possible that the general standard of our farming might be raised to a. level at which it would be beyond the reach of any, save the very heaviest, waves of depression? “If not, there seems to be at least a risk that our farming, no longer the free industry that we know and respect, may become a mere hanger-on of the State, dependent on its bounty and subject to its commands. Economic independence is worth a struggle, for with it may go a higher kind of freedom that is worth the hardest fight of which man is capable.”

CERTIFICATION OF SEEDS Entries for certification of wheat, perennial ryegrass, Italian ryegrass, and Montgomeryshire red clover for the 1937-38 harvest close with the Department of Agriculture on November 30. Growers in North Canterbury who wish to enter crops must lodge their application on or before this date with the local Instructor in Agriculture. Any applications received after November 30 will be accepted only on the\ payment of a late fee of 10/-.