FARM TRACTORS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26841, 4 August 1948, Page 4

FARM TRACTORS

HEAVIER TYPES NEEDED AVAILABLE IN AMERICA EFFECT ON PRODUCTION “ Some few years ago Winston Churchill said, ‘ Give us the tools and we will finish the job.’ For a considerable time now the farmers of New Zealand have been making the same plea, they have been asking for the importation of suitable tractors, both wheel and crawler, to enable them to do the job they are most anxious to do—to increase production and thus give practical assistance to the Aid for Britain campaign,” stated a report prepared by Mr W. Stuart Sim, of Federated. Farmers, which was tabled at last night’s meeting of the Otago Aid for Britain Council.

“ Despite statements to the contrary from representatives of British manufacturers, at date there are available no British crawler tractors with suitable power plant of 30 h.p. or over. Our farmers need multi-cylinder power plants in their tractors to obtain the essential flexibility in operation. British wheel tractors, with multicylinder power plants, on this market fall within the medium-power class considered by our farmers inadequate for other than medium-sized farms with little, if any, hill work. “ In this connection it would appear that a quotation from a recent book by a prominent English farmer, whose farm is in Wiltshire, some 800 feet above sea level, would be pertinent. This is what he says: ‘ Our complement of tractors consists of a 35 h.p., 50 h.p., and two 30 h.p. tractors. These are the types we have found most successful and suitable to our farm. We have tried several others, including some oi the lighter and cheaper tractors, but j.ci our hilly land, we are bound to have powerful machines. Hence all our tackle here is of the rather big and heavy type. For economy of working, operating in large fields up to 100 acres, the advantage of this large tackle is considerable.’ “The tractors mentioned were prominent American makes, and indicate that this most successful English farmer uses the very types of equipment which the farmers of New Zealand ask for, and for the same reason —the safety and efficiency which can be obtained from the crawler tractoi on hilly ground, a safety factor not generally found with wheel tractors on hill work.

American Types

“ From the U.S.A. can be procured Diesel-engined multi-cylinder tractors of 30 h.p. upwards, both crawler and wheel, fully capable of the four-fur-row work required, reasonably priced proven tractors backed by efficient service organisations of over 50 years' standing of service to farmers in this Dominion. The urgency of the need is exemplified by the fact that letters in excess of 100 daily are reaching the Dominion office of Federated Farmers from farmers all over the country in urgent need of tractors of the types indicated above for the sole purpose of attaining the targets essential to implement our commitments 'to Great Britain.

“ Further evidence of the urgency of the need is given by the prices being paid at auction for used tractors. For a used machine, the new price of which was £1146, the sum of £1905 was paid. Another tractor which cos: new £llOO brought £1375. Others after two years’ work have' brought £IOO over the new price. “Spare parts are also most urgently needed to service existing machines. Stocks of genuine spares are virtually non-existent, many machines being immobilised, often for lengthy periods, while parts are manufactured locally, this usually at the most inopportune and essential time. Tracks in particular are in very short supply, and seem extremely difficult to procure from the United States. “ Import licence difficulties have caused piston rings to become a continually recurring problem. The ridiculously low figure of the licences granted for piston rings prevents machines being serviced with genuine rings, the rings which are available being found not to give the service to be expected, with resultant further delays, due apparently to the lack of suitable materials for our Dominion manufacturers. “ The tractors being askc-d for are for the purpose of replacing obsolescent and worn-out machines, which have more than reached the end of their efficient and useful life, and which could not be replaced, as they otherwise would have been, because of the war and its aftermath. Additional tractors to increase production are also being asked for. If these requests are not implemented it is plainly and definitely useless to talk any further of Aid for Britain. It is solely by the provision of the necessary quota of dollars now that the position can be altered.

Dollar Allocation

“ Farmers are gravely concerned that dollars badly needed to provide them with the tractors and equipment they urgently need are being used in procuring from the U.S.A. Diesel crawler tractors and other equipment for the ' Public Works Department, which is allocated a very large quota of dollars, with absolute priority over all other requirements for dollars. “A representative committee of Federated Farmers evolved a workable plan for the purpose of financing the importation of the required tractors, a plan which, put into practice, would secure the full requirements and in addition give a very decided lift to production figures and which would have the effect of materially increasing the flow of our produce to Great Britain, besides opening up another market. “ The significance of the fact that American tractors, crawler and wheel, of the power range our farmers ask for, are being used by British farmers in ever increasing numbers, surely indicates that what our farmers are asking is not unreasonable.”