ELOQUENT WITNESSES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 3 January 1928, Page 3

ELOQUENT WITNESSES

INDIVIDUALITY ON THE FARM A ROAP TO PROSPERITY No inntiei* whether man or woman, no matter what tailing wo may be following, if ii bo creative, wo aye, liound to leuvo the impress of our individuality on that undertaking, either lav good or evil (writes "Bracken" in the Aucklfttul "Star"). A teacher of children, if they are under her tuition for any length of time, will leave, her impress upon their minds. A mother unquestionably stamps her individuality upon her children, a, business undoubtedly reflects the character of the owner, and most of all a farm reflects very forcibly the outstanding characteristics of the' man who is working it. The occupation of farming is essentially creative and that which we create mostly outlives us and so rornains a mute and truthful testimony to our capabilities. That, it seems to me, is a matter worthy of far moro serious consideration than Is sometimes given to it. A farmer's work being completely in the open, the results are there for all the. world to see and accordingly ho can not afford to advertise to a critical world his shortcomings. None the less I am afraid many of.us are doing it. Take a trip through any part of New Zealand and I am prepared to say that you will admit the condition of most of the farms is a pretty correct index or the capabilttfes and methods of the owners. , One : farm positively radiates prosperity, the stock are sleek and contented, the fences and gates are neat and strong, the homestead and garden cosy and inviting. Another, on the other hand, makes one unconsciously remark "What a dilapidated-looking place," the very beasts look mean and dispirited, the buildings forlorn. Yet, a third gives one a feeling of restlessness and disorder, and so on, each place a concrete testimony to Hie progress or otherwise of Ihe farmer. To how many of us, I ask you, has it occurred to stop and seriously consider our own farms from this point of view? To how many of us does it occur that perhaps our own farms are lacking the prosperous look of our neighbours? How many of us stop to consider why? We are, all of us, unquestionably hoping for and working for success, but maybe some of us are doing more hoping than working. We would, all of us, pe very loth.to thinkthat our neighbours were saying "Oh ! he's an awful muddler," yet we allow our farms to say it, and we apparently entirely fail to' realise the fact. That they do sometimes say it in no uncertain terms wo cannot deny, yet we fail to alter it, and one of the reasons is because so many of us are totally lacking in observation. We have eyes to see, and see not, ears to heai* and hear not.

A certain percentage of the farming community seem to be living under the foolish impression that because a business man or a financial institution, in most cases know nothing about farming, that therefore they necessarily cannot know whether a nian is a good farmer or otherwise. Disabuse your minds on this score. They have only to sec a client's farm to gauge his limitations. They have long realised that the condition of a man's property is the true reflection of his individuality. It is their business to know, That being the case, can we, in these times of dearer money, blame financiers if they seem somewhat sceptical on the subject of the value of broad acres as an when they see, as they must, the condition of some of our holdings? Is it likely, 1 ask you, that any man is going to advance, further sums of money to a mortgagor whose property shows obvious signs of decay and neglect. The producing value of land must always be to a certain extent problematic, for the simple reason that it is decided in mostcases by the capability or otherwise of the man farming it. The,se days it is by no moans an easy matter to raise money on farm property, except'by paying heavy interest, and the sooner we realise that some of the cause for is is of our own making, and the sooner we make some determined effort to alter things, just so much sooner shall we get a better hearing and easier terms. The road to prosperity is long, and, believe me, there are no short cuts, and I am satisfied that until we are prepared to more thoroughly probe our own shortcomings, and to make more strenuous efforts to progress individually, our financial affairs will not materially alter for the better. Tt is for us to remember that however high our ideals in fanning methods may be, thev can still with, adyantage be higher, and that as we raise our standards so shall we raise onr credit.