THE FARMER'S PLAGE IN THE UNIVERSE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14322, 18 March 1910, Page 3

THE FARMER'S PLAGE IN THE UNIVERSE.

,Sir,—l wish to offer a reply to the letter of Mr. A. Schmitt, of Clevedon; who writes "at some length, . under the heading, "What the Farmer is Doing." . I am anxious to ex-> plain that I have not the ; least animosity to : farmers, and, therefore,'! may be t permitted to say that I ha.ve myself been .farming) for; many years, ■;,' but ;; it. always '■£ irritates me %to ■ hear anyone exclaim, farmer is, the backbone of the country."' A moment's reflection should ; show anyone ".'■ how,;; radically mistaken it is, together with ;• all the fide-'' ductions that;: are made; from it.';;-, The; land is -the; mainstay of the country,'/: not the farmer. Never mind how-capable 'I a- farmer; a man may be, if ;he has no land to work upon he is as ; helpless as a tailor without; cloth, or a : baker without flour, : or a carpenter K without timber. "Indeed: the J analogy is perfect. -.To • the land we owe \ everything. Everything would cease to exist if the land were to disappear for five minutes.:, But nothing so terrible would ' happen iif si the formers disappeared for five minutes. 'If il ? Bl ; ' li|

— — — a tailor would 'exclaim? at the crowd o£ pcd pie in Queen-street - that 5 they could 1 , thank; . him and' his fellow-craftsmen that they did not go naked, it could »< not bo ' more L , ridiculous than - the notion that to farmers our daily bread is due. Yet on that assumption all our laws and legislation -turn, with-it tho result that farming •is just one -poor • ■;•!. trade among many * others. But s my purpose in writing is not to point out • remedies. I\'->v only wish to point to what to mo seems .* self-evident mistakeT. P. L. WEITEMEtEB. m Matamata, I March 11, 1910. «/<> 1® i sb;OViJPi