FARMERS' LIVING EXPENSES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21143, 29 March 1932, Page 13

FARMERS' LIVING EXPENSES

Sir, —Amidst all the gloomy news in these dark days one ray of sunshine comes from Invercargill. I refer to Mr. Levvey's remarks recently published to the effect that all the farmers needed to buy was bread, tea and sugar. What a crumb of comfort to the many farmers who are to-day harassed by falling incomes! What marvellous economy this would mean! Most of us would, of course, be rather diffident about suggesting to our wives that the above three items should be the limit of household requirements. Then 1 suggest that Mr. Levvev might broadcast a short talk to farmers' wives, entitled " Housekeeping with bread, tea and sugar." Then his remarks )'o people starving when rabbits can be knocked over with a stick. This is sublime. Two edicts will now go forth where only one issued. The unemployed have, of course, heard number one, " Grow your own vegetables." The latest will be " Knock over your own rabbits." In conclusion, might I point out that many people are quite mistaken in their idea that the farmer can live more cheaply than his city cousin. In many cases the goods he has to purchase arc much dearer than the same articles in the cities. Much nonsense is talked about farmers making their own butter, etc. The farmer who consumes his own produce buys it even though ro actual money transaction takes place. E. A; Clayton. Sir, —As the remarks of Mr. Levvev, S.M., of Invercargill, tend to give an entirely erroneous impression, I would like to say that the things a farmer' can grow himself on the farm make very, little impression in the way of relief to his general cost of living to day. I have never yet heard a towns man who had a kitchen garden and some poultry (and very few have not in New Zealand) grumble any the .less at Jho high cost of living; his garden and poultry being run more as a healthful hobby than for profit. I know there is a general impression that a farm provides a living. When I left town for the country, I thought very much as Mr. Levvey does. One's own butter, milk, meat, vegetables, etc., all for nothing. This is a delusion. To get a pound of butter simply means that much less cream going to the factory, so you lose the price of a pound of butter-fat, and as it costs Is to produce it means your pound of butter has cost vou Is. One's own bacon! It takes months of feeding to ge{. a bacon pig fat. Whey alone is not enough. Supplementary feeds like pollard, etc., are very expensive. Then the curing. Count everything and you say to yourself: -"Better to buy bacon and save all the labour and expense." Poultry the same; high cost of feed, low price'of eggs. As for vegetables; last week I bought a sugar hag of potatoes off a. neighbour for 2s 6d. When I commenced farming, I. in my young enthusiasm, grew my own. I kept a record of costs of seed, manures, labour, etc., it worked out at 2s 3d, net profit 3d on a sugar bag This 3d went on the sugar bag for any I sold. Does Mr. Levvey think that in the country everything grows wild? Blackberries and rabbits are the only things I know of that grow of themselves; all else costs more to grow than they can be bought for. But all said and done, vegetables and meat are only a small part; the things that take the money we cannot grow. I glance at my store bill—tea, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, oatmeal, flour, etc. —these don't grow on the farm Such things are dearer in the country because cartage and freight are added. A truck of coal costs the farmer as much in freight and cartage as the coal itself; everything the same. As to being able to get our meat by knocking over a rabbit with a stick, does not this savour too much of the violent methods of the sandbagger? When we were young they used to tell me wo could catch the birds by putting salt on their tails. Why not rabbits? A for more "humane" way this. Here now is a job for the unemployed, warranted (o keep them fully employed! One Who Knows.