Motor Cars And Good Farming

NZ Truth, 15 March 1924, Page 3

Motor Cars And Good Farming

» A REPLY TO "SON." (By "Father.") . "Son's" protest ("Truth," 23/2/24) shows that home truths can do good. It has provided amusement. Fancy "Son" needing a car to get the better of the. "law sharpers!" Ye gods, he must be a litigious kind of cow-puncher that needs a car to keep down his bill of coats. And what' a car! It would need to be fast, wouldn't it? Lord, how the "law sharpers" must smile when they see "Son" roll up m his Lin Dizzy! They must go out m the back office to hide their thin cackle. "Son" has a new name for the breed, which is singularly appropriate, but- he overlooks the far moro numerous clan of "law flattes" (no relation to legal flatulence). The less the cow farmer run 3 to town to get the better of the "law sharpers" the more peace of mind and pence will he enjoy. It is a sad business, this mania for cars. Many a farmer has been ruined by it, and many more have yet to realise how savage will be the punishment for their reckless spending. Honestly now, "Son" can make no case for the car sharpers. There Is nothing m his argument except that ho deserves some recreation. As ono who has lived just as hard a life, and pulled as many teats and needed as much enjoyment as, "Son," let me emphasise the grave danger that the craze for cars contains. For the ten months ending October 31, 1922, the imports to New Zealand comprised; £ Rubber tyres • 764,000 Motor cars. (11,336) 1.947,000 Benzine (17,683,000 gal.) 1,433,000 A total cost of £3,144,000! There you have It, a total expenditure for ten months of over £3,000,000. For the whole of 1923 our exports of wool were valued at £10,000000, so that three bales out of every ten went to buy cars! If that does not sink Into "Son's"- skull let us try another way. Last year our exports of butter were valued at £10,000,000, so that three boxes of his grease went to buy cars. Or, m other words, 30 per cent, of the cow cockles' income! If the results were not so entirely satisfactory to Uncle Sam he would not be landing cars on the Timaru wharf at the rate of 200 per ship. One car agent m Wanganui sold forty cars m one afternoon (after the wool sale), no doubt to assist the farmer m getting a better inside knowledge of "law sharpers," arid incidentally, a few joyrides to the races. "Son" can take it as about right that when Bradford stops speculating m greasy crossbreds another slump will come, helped, no doubt, by Mr. Massey's borrowing and the farmers' " recklessly criminal Improvidence In not "laying by for tho rainy day." The orgy of expenditure on the part of the Government, tho local bodies, and tho farmers can bo cured m only one way, and that is a liberal application of tho empty-belly philosophy. Of course, farmers buy tho cars. See them on market day or at the races. As for financial circles regarding cars as tho badge of bad farming, "Son" has no grounds for disputing my assertion.