A PERILOUS STATE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23894, 23 August 1939, Page 5

A PERILOUS STATE

POSITION OF MIXED FARMER LIGHT WOOL CLIP PROBABLE SUGGESTIONS TO THE GOVERNMENT (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, Aug. 22. A warning that a light wool clip might be expected this year was given by Mr T D. Burnett, Opposition member for Temuka, during the Financial debate in the House of Representatives to-day Mr Burnett also suggested two methods by which the Government might help the high country sheep farmer. Snow and floods would contribute towards a light clip, Mr Burnett said, and a prudent Government would be on the alert to counter this dossible setback in the national income. He suggested that 12 hourly regional weather forecasts might be made available for the benefit of the sheepfarmers in the high country so that they could have a better warning than was now available of coming storms. The second proposal was that the Minister of Transport (Mr R. Semple) should call a conference of all counties in the snow areas to discuss the latest methods of clearing snow from the roads. This was a task which involved ample preparation but it was a form of insurance for the sheep owners when it came to transporting their stock. "It ill behoves people in their cheap superiority to level sneering criticism at the man on the land ' the cocky,' " Mr Burnett continued The real trouble was that the present Government was composed largely of idealists, and unfortunately the farmer depended on world prices which did. not coincide with the increasing internal costs. The mixed farmer was to-day in a perilous state.