FARMERS’ DIFFICULTIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18467, 31 January 1922, Page 3

FARMERS’ DIFFICULTIES

PALL IN BUTTER-FAT. HIGH PRICE OP LAND. \ (Fbom Ora Own Cobbeopondent.) WELLINGTON, January 30. The difficulties being faced bv rainy .dairy farmers were referred to by the Xeader ot the Opposition (Mr T. M. Wilford) in the House to-day, in the course of a question which he asked the Prime Minister. Mr Wilford quoted a report from a Palmerston North paper in "which it was stated that a farmer, appearing in the Magistrate’s Court on a judgment summons, said in evidence that he was pennilesß, and that ho had not a shilling to buy bread. His ruin was ceased by the fall in the price of butter-fat. Hia nrilk cheque for December, 1920, was £2OO, while that for the same month m 1821 was £45. His interest cost him £SO a month, and as he depended solely on dairy produce for a livelihood his December cheque was not sufficient to pay interest. Mr Wilford asked that the Prune Minister should consider the position of the .dairy farmers. There were 40,000 of them m the country owning a mflbom cows. 'o ctL ‘“ some means be devised whereby they would be given time to pay their interest. Mr Maasey said that the matter was under the consideration of the Government at the present time. He did not think he had over tackled any problem which waa more difficult. He did not think that there were “ever so many” dairy farmers m this sort of trouble. He admitted that there were some who were in trouble, while others were doing fairly wefl. The drop in the price of butter was a vory senoua matter. Mr Wilford: It means a difference of £12,000,000. _ Mr Maasey repeated that it wag a very serious matter, bat tbe Government had been moving in connection with, it He bad a very valuable report from the Valuergeneral, who had bean some of the dairying districts. He bad been able, in soma cases, to induce the mortgagees to meet the mortgagors, bob this was not always possible. He had received numbers of letters from dairy farmers, eras of them very pathetic in their nature. The Government waa considering' the question, and everything that could he done to meet the situation would be dome.. ... Another question bearing on position of the man on the land was asked by Mr W T Jennings (Waitomo), who asked the Minister of Lands if he would consider bringing down a Fair Rents Bill next session, dealing with the pnoe of land. Mr Jennings said he had received letters from the Waikato and the King Cam try complaining of the pnoea ruling. He quoted one where a man wishing to commence poultry-farming had been asked ner acre for land five miles from Hamilton. The Hon. D. H. Guthne said that, it was not hia intention to bring down a Fair Rents BUI, either now or next session. Action was being taken in another way. as would be seen when the Land Laws Amendment Bill came down. , A third direction m which the presentday difficulties are affecting- farmers waa mentioned by Mr W. S Glenn who read a letter from the Marion Farmed* Union complaining that farmers were not permitted by the Income Tax Department to set losses incurred in farming against other sources of income in thear income tax assessment. There were some farmers, it waa stated, who had lost very heavily by their farms, and yet were shown by the department to have a taxable tooome. Mr Massey said that ho understood this to refer to farm ere who owned businesses, or to business men with farms- •‘•ms “ a< j always been a difficult question. Ho had not been able to deal with it yet., It. waa a matter which bo intended to look into during the recess, with a view to brmgmg down a BO! next session. He did not pledge himself to meet the trouble, however