HELP TO FARMERS.

Opunake Times, 22 October 1935, Page 2

HELP TO FARMERS.

(To tlie Editor). Sir, —Mr Pichards, M.P. puts up the usual “guff” which is the stock-in-trade of his Party—everything the Government has done is wrong. This “devils own’* Government “deliberately cut” millions of purchasing power' in 1930 by their policy in 1931,—it has placed the farmer in chains with the mortgagee —in short the Government has been a bad friend to the farmer.

As a little antidote to Mr Richards’ wholesale condemnation may I recall a few things the Government has done for the farmer ? Reduction of interest rates saves the farmer £ 1,380,000 a year, in rate-rebate he was saved £250,000 in 1931/32. The rate subsidy provided £103,000 in 1933. From 1931-1934 the subsidy on fertilisers came to .about £340000, free carriage of lime equalled £OO,OOO, concession on railage of fertilisers cafe to £99,000 in 1934. Subsidies from Unemployment Board have now reached a £1,000,000. These are only a few of the main items of assistance that a “farmers’ Government” Mr Richards calls it) has given Jo the farmers —so I don’t think our Taranaki men on the land wifi be taken in by his attempt to show that the Government has been the ruin of the farmers and turned ‘God’s own country” into “the Devil’s own country” as Mr Richards says. I am, etc., SMALL FARMER.