ADVANCES TO FARMERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19459, 15 October 1926, Page 8

ADVANCES TO FARMERS.

Sir,-—While a great deal of the Minister of, Lands' recent speech at Papakura is good business, 1 question the correctness of the amount of ten millions which he is reported to have stated that "the State Advances Department has, during the last three year-: s lent to struggling rural settlers." I am the more surprised that the Minister should misstate the figures inasmuch as I recently drew his attention to a similar misuse of figures by S,ir Harold Beauchamp. The advances on rural securities by the State Advances Department are given in the Year Books and in the 1926 State Advances Office report as follows: Current 011 31-3-1923 . . ;£4,510,688 Current on 31-3-1924 . . 5,766,139 Current on 31-3-1925 . . 7,442,678 Current on 31-3-1926 . . 9,360,162 It will be seen that less than half the sum stated by the Minister to have been advanced has been lent. Even if reloaned money were included, it could not bring the total to anything like "over ten millions." If there is an explanation of this surprisingly frequent misstatement by public men, I for one. confess myself completely in the dark and should like to have it. A. E. Robinson. Provincial Secretary, New Zealand Farmers' Union.