WHEAT-GROWING AREAS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16483, 8 March 1917, Page 9

WHEAT-GROWING AREAS

QUESTION OF SUITABILITY, 1 Tf' i APPEAL BY TWO FARMERS. I. mP • 1 life, - v • ;.\~ *;• ■'" ' Tce question as to whether the North" is I a , suitable as the South for ' wheat-grow-i §P*in2- purposes 1 incidentally arose in ; an I SP appeal 'case at tlio sitting of tho First i '" ■ Military Service Board yesterday,-;' when $ ■ Maurice P. Coughlan and William vJ. f I '■' Gonghlan, farmers, of Puni. near Pukc- ' kohe (Mr. Napier), appealed on grounds 'r . 0 occupation. .' ' ; ;:• j ; Maurice P. Coughlan said he was work- % ' - "ing» ™ with his brother.on behalf of I - his father. The'farm was bought in OctoI X. ber, 19W, at a cost of £16.000, £6030' '% ; . :•'-: being paid in cash. They had sown- at 11- present 100 acres of oats, and were preIH I paring to nut down a further 100 acres of., I ''-'.':'"; oats and wheat. They niilk*d 50 cows, ! I '<■'-'■ and appelant and his brother did all tho I work on tho farm, their father being too f 'old to assist. Appellant had no aversion 1 to COJ* n!r to the ron The ' arm had been I '-"offered for sale at cost price, but there I had been no offers, and labour to work tho I | . farm was unobtainable. \ * /K... To Major Conlan: Prior to October, 1 >.-• 19W, ahpel'ant was assisting his father in I '"■ - T "a hotel. He worked hard, and tho farm 1 :■' had been great improved since they had % % - had it.. I I •■' Major Colan said he did not think new I Sf • land should be improved at the present I v ■ time. Owing to. the scarcity of labour in I V wheat-growine districts in the South, I ;;• it seemed more important that tho culti--1 l |-', vated land there should be kept culti-' I p- vated than that fresh land should be' I i opened up here with little prospects of! % ■■■' any threat success in growing wheat. j I '-'.■■ Mr. Nanier ppinfed out that Southern I .'' land reouired manure, whereas virgin soil i 1 . ■ here grows crops straightaway. j 1\; Mrfjor Conlan: You make a mistake. I I If they manured the Southern lands the I i crO"S would be too heavy. H William J. Coughlan confirmed his Ml •' brother's' evidence, and said they were in W§ Fiji when the war broke out, and came W hack to assist their father. Appellant was W$ milking 40 cows by machine, and big , !■■•- brother attended to the crops. He antici-1 il.v pated harvesting 35 bushels of wheat per 111, acre, as the average crop in that district I if' was 45 bushels.

I % To Major Conlan: His sole reason for ap 1 :' pealing was to help his father, who, i I appellant had to serve, would be ruined. I > Mr. J. McCaw, a member of the board II &aid bo did not think too much importance - : ; should be attached to the fact that whea §: was grown, as it was no cood in Waikato II (Farmers who had tried to grow it liac I given it up. '/ " Counsel said it was better than in th< I South. The best was grown in the Wai 1 tato ' ' „ , „ Mr. McCawt lou can grow the stalk here, but nothing else. % Maurice Coushlan, father of the appel- = L ; • lants, said he was unable to work, owine \ f to ill-health, and his sons were indispens- \ • able. If they were taken ho could 'not • pav the. interest on the farm. He had an equity in a hotel at Dunedin, but id was lint worth much, as people were frightened of hotels at the present time. • Major Conlan :Do you want your boys Iv to stop here and reap benefits whilo others are «wnv 6 eh ting for them? '../ Witness: No;- hut do you know they ! '.' lave not drawn £?0 each in two years? lave not drawn £?0 each in two years? Major. Conlan: No they are banking V the'r money in the land. ),.; The chairman said the board thoueht |£ .one son could be spared, and as tho other : ; was eneaced in an essential industry tho /• .board was not coin? to strip the farm. -.=/• TJiov thought William should go, but they j/f would give him until Miv 31 to adjust his K- affairs. The appeal of Maurice would be H allowed, uifder,section 35. so Ion? as he «K|j remained in his present employment. W' - .