The New Zealand Times. MONDAY, MARCH 10, 1017. THE FARMERS’ DUTY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9612, 19 March 1917, Page 4

The New Zealand Times. MONDAY, MARCH 10, 1017. THE FARMERS’ DUTY

The speech delivered by Mr E. Newman, M.P., at the Marten A. and I'. .Show on Wednesday last, contrasts very favourably indeed with that made by Mr Vv. Nosworthy, M.P., a t Ashburton ilia week before. Mr Newman struck no dolorous note. Instead of “grousing” and grumbling and hanging back, patriotism was his keynote and “Forward” his watchword. The pessimistic and doleful Mr Nosworthy, it will bo remembered, was careful to emphasise the fact that he spoke as a farmer. But there are farmers and farmers, for Mr Newman, speaking as a farmer to farmers, briskly and cheerfully appealed to the patriotism of the producers, and. urged them to grow more foodstuffs for people less favourably situated than themselves, Ho pointed out that they could substantially assist in one direction, namely, by growing wheat. It was not for the farmers just now, he tightly declared, to criticise too closely tho methods adopted by the Government in fixing the prices of wheat, and, dsspHe the shortage of labour, with which the Government are doing theii best to cope, he pleaded with the farmers of tho llangitikci to put all personal feelings on one side, and for the good of tho country and for the boys who were fighting for them at tho front, to grow as much wheat and ootatoeg ns possible. It was, ho said, the duty of all who could not go to the front to increase the production of food; and he urged that each one who had suitable land should endeavour to grow some wheat, in spite of the difficulties duo to tho shortage of JaIfbtir and the generally increased cost of production. That there is ample room for increased production all round is indicated by tho export figures quoted by Mr -Newman. In 1914, he showed tho wool exported totalled 220,00!>,0001b, but in 1915 this fell to 196,000,0001 b, and in’l9l6 to 185,000,0001 b—a reduced production of 34,000,0C01b since the outbreak of the war. Under normal conditions, ho pointed out, this would have meant to the wool-growers a substantially reduced income; but, while quantities had decreased, prices bad soared, rising from £9,000,000 in 1914 to £10,000,000 in 1 1915, and. to £12,000,000 Inst year. Frozen meat again fell from 3,591,000 'cwt. in. 1915 to 3,326,000 in 1916; and the export of butter fell from 420,000 cwt. to 358.000 owt. in the • same period, though cheese increased slightly, from 863.000 owt. to 949,000 cwt. “These figures,” said Mr Newman, “disclosed the fact that our main products were being reduced in quantity, instead of being increased. It was well that farmers throughout tho country' should ho informed of this fact, because it was clearly the farmer’s duty to increase the production.” It is at any time, surely, tlio duty of tho farmers to make the best use of the land; and especially is it their duty to do so in time of war. That .thp* farmers of New Zealand are hardly doing their duty in the present crisis would seem to bo indicated by tho figures , quoted by Mr Newman; and that in time of peace they have not done their, duty is clearly shown by tho fact that, as the latest census returns show, out of the 41,385,000 acres in occupation in New Zealand only 16.984.000 are under cultivation, while of these .upwards of_ fourteen million acres are only cultivated to tho extent of being sown in grass, leaving no less than 24,401,000 acres unimproved even to that limited extent. Of the land sown in grass, again, it should bo' noted that five million acres alone are ploughed land, the remaining nine million awes being mainly surface-sown. The position as regards cultivation, and occupation in tho several land districts is shown in tho following table :

Total 16,984,174 41,386,040 These figures demonstrate that New Zealand farmers have up to date fallen very f;ir short of making the most of the land. This, of course, is the natural result of a governmental policy that encourages land monopoly and land speculation rather than the use of the land —the farming of the farmer rather than the farming of the farm; but we trust that the attention called to this matter by the present urgent and increasing need of greater production from the land will ere long change all this. Speculation must ho checked, and the best use of the land must ho encouraged. Tho best interests of the country and of the Empire demand it. Further, unless wo oust mere land-gamblers, we can never secure for the brave lads who have fought for their country a fair share of and a fair chance to prosper in the land they have fought for.

Area in Area in District Cultivation. Occupation Acres. Acre:. Auckland JIawko’s Bay 3,157,870 6,483,153 ... 2,921,563 4,333,094 Taranaki 1,287,665 1,663,340 Wellington 3,412,870 4,756,10! Nelson 362,413 1,201,530 Marlborough, 458,303 2.679.662 Westland. 132,115 1,693,176 Canterbury 2.092,022 .7,718,417 Otago Southland 1,383,756 1,174,933 7,659,359 3,143,183