National Survey Of Machinery And Other Needs

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26772, 15 May 1948, Page 4

National Survey Of Machinery And Other Needs

The Farm

A national survey of the farm machinery and tractor position in New Zealand is being made by Federated Farmers, the object being to gain comprehensive information about the needs of the man on the land for increasing farm production. The survey is being conducted by the Action Committee of Federated Fanners, which is sending cards to about 65.000 farmers throughout New Zealand, 43,000 of whom are members of Federated Farmers. The cards are designed to secure information regarding the requirements of farmers for wheel and crawler type farm tractors, for tractor ploughs, power mowers, pickup hay balers, side-delivery rakes and tedders, and other machines or similar supplies. Provision is also made for listing the farmers’ requirements of both plain and barbed wire. Farmers of Otago and Southland will welcome this commendable move, but for success to be achieved it is essential that every farmer should complete the forms and return them to the head office of the federation in Wellington. On some farms in Otago and Southland machinery is not yet a serious problem. On many others, however, it is, and has been for some time, while every farmer is seriously handicapped by the scarcity of wire.

In a statement accompanying the cards, Mr R. G. Buckloton, the chairman of the Action Committee, gives some of the manj’ reasons why the farm supply situation is so bad to-day. He mentions the war productive effort of the farm machinery manufacturers, who necessarily made weapons of destruction rather than production, with a consequent heavy strain on equipment, necessitating- costly replacements. To-day's high prices for farm produce, he suggests, have created a buying boom in the countries of manufacture, while tine Marshall Plan has drawn supplies to Europe. The horse population of every country is declining at the same tirpe, and there are millions more people to feed in the world to-day than before 1939.

As far as New Zealand is concerned, Mr Buckleton puts import restriction high on his list. He expresses the opinion that in certain high places there is a lack of real knowledge of farmers’ requirements. There is a lack of appreciation of the importance of farming to New Zealand and scant recognition is given to the fact that since 1938 New Zealand farmers have been short of the tools of trade they need even to maintain for long their present rate of production. Farming accounts for nearly all New Zealand's export wealth; if farm production declines New Zealand prosperity declines, too. he says. If a huge manufacturing concern was faced with a situation which disclosed that more than 25 per cent, of its machines and equipment were worn out and if it became generally known that the position could not be remedied because replacements were unobtainable, confidence in the prosperity of that business would be shaken. Yet, Said Mr Buckleton in a statement, that is the exact situation of New Zealand’s biggest industry—farming. Every effort must he made to remedy such a deplorable state of affairs. Federated Farmers believe that more help can be given farmers in providing their tools of trade than the present import control regulations allow. To build a full case for further representations is the real purpose of the present survey. Some measure of success as a result of previous representations has been achieved, but not enough has yet been done. If individual farmers co-operate in making the present survey a success, the federation feels that it can make a success of its campaign for more essential farm machinery and equipment in the necessary variety.