A FARMING CAREER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23206, 2 June 1937, Page 2

A FARMING CAREER

SUGGESTIONS FOR ATTRACTING YOUTHS TO THE LAND

The Southland executive of the New Zealand Fanners’ Union has remitted to a committee a scheme placed before it last week by Mr K. E. MTCinnon agricultural master at the Southland Technical High School, for training young farmers and attracting youth to the land with a reasonable prospect of securing ownership of a farm. The committee is to prepare a more complete plan for submission to the authorities throughout New Zealand. Mr MTCinnon stated in a paper, outlining hi? scheme, that no plan had yet been evolved whereby there was offered to the boy leaving school a definite inducement to include farming in the consideration of a career. New members in the rural industry seemed to come for the most part from: (1) Those who inherited farms or were established on the home farm by subdivision; (2) those who were financed on farms by parents or relatives; (3) those who graduated as land owners through the ranks of farm labourers and were assisted financially by mercantile firms. The number permanently settled- on the land from these groups was not nearly sufficient % to exploit fully the potential productiveness of New Zealand. Lack of finance frequently limited the number of sons whom a farmer could attempt to establish, and, in the case of inheritance, several sons could not inherit the same farm. Subdivision certainly assisted, but in many cases the area of the holding was a limiting factor. Farm labourers frequently tended to migrate to cities, as there they could anticipate the earlier establishment of a home. Besides the loss to primary production caused by money difficulties driving country youths to the towns, the loss of potential farming talent in the urban populations had also' to be considered. It would appear a reasonable assumption that a proportion of city youths would, if opportunity offered, make successful farmers. These potentialities and inclinations were generally suppressed when the all important decision as to a career was made, and it was a strange reflection on our present economic system that our most important profession was the most under-popu-lated because of the financial difficulty of entry.

The following scheme for overcoming this anomaly was submitted by Mr M'Kinnon: — 1. In each important rural centre a committee of the Farmers’ Union to be set up to further the scheme. 2. Boys to be selected after they have completed two years postprimary education. The choice of the applicants to rest with the committee named in (1) above. Assuming primary school leaving age as 14, the youths would be 16 when selected. 3. For a period of two years, 16 to 18, the candidates to work as cadets on approved farms. Wage lo be outside the award because of instruction received. 4. The subsequent two years to be regarded as broadening the viewpoint of the farm student. This stage presents certain difficulties, but the following possibilities are put forward as a basis for discusison: (a) To interchange the cadets between the various provinces; (b) to arrange for courses of instruction at agricultural colleges or State farms; (c) to attach students to some branch of the Agricultural Department; (d) lo approach mercantile firms with a view to having the youths associated as supernumeraries. 5. The trainees, now aged 20, to be attached to approved fanners for a further period of three years. It would seem advisable to consider suitable transfers between, say, sheep and dairy farms. Again a special dispensation about award wages could be sought. ' 6. The young man, now 23, to be fully financed on an approved farm by the Government at a low rate of interest (say 2£ per cent.). For the next three years the new landowner to be guided in all Ins farm methods and transactions by a select committee.

7. On the completion of the three years’ probation, supervision to be removed and ordinary rates of interest to apply. 8. The Whole scheme to be under the control of the Minister of Agriculture, to be executed by the Farmers’ Union organisation in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, for the initial selections, with the principals of post-primary schools. Mr M’Kinnon claimed that there would be sufficient safeguards in this scheme against a chance of a wastage of public money under it. The number of trainees might, he suggested, be limited and the operation of the scheme could be accelerated by the selection of boys who had already passed the initial stages with credit.