HELPING THE FARMER

Otago Witness, Issue 3860, 6 March 1928, Page 13

HELPING THE FARMER

POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT. AUCKLAND, February 28. Statistics to prove that the primary producers of the Dominion had shown thems Solves worthy of the protection of their industries and of State aid were freely quoted by Mr 0. J. Hawken (Minister of Agriculture) in an address at Papatoetoe. Commencing by dealing with the criticism against the wheat and flour duties, the Minister -said that the Canterbury wheatgrowers had responded very well indeed to the measure of protection accorded them last year. Very little money went out of the country to grain, and this year so heavy was the harvest that it should not be necessary to effect any overseas purchases at all. ' Although not long ago £1,500,000 per annum was . reaching other shores to supply the grain needs of the Dominion, this sum was now hept in the country, and more men were employed. A reduction of 40 per cent, in the freight on fertilisers, admittedly aided by the “ fertiliser war,” had resulted in a vastly increased use of manure, with the result that production in many branches of farming had increased to a degree that- was positively astounding. Eight thousand pounds had been given by the State to foster herd testing with equally gratifying results. During the past 10 years the production per dairy cow bad been increased by 25 per cent, until to-day the average yield was 2001 b of butter-fat per cow, only 201 b behind the average of Denmark. “I am confident that we can yet beat Denmark in this,” said the Minister. ’ Among other instances which Mr Hawken mentioned in his justification of help for the farmer was the subsidy on exported fruit. He said that while last year some 560,000 cases of apples had been exported, the total this year was expected to approach 1,000,000 cases. “ A Minister of Agriculture should keep his eye on the small men like the fruitgrower. The bigger men can look after themselves,” said Mr Hawken. “ The fruit grower is doing very much better than many people think.” Fortunately, said the Minister, he was given no avenues for borrowing money. Fruit farms were not regarded as the best security, with the result that to-dav he was in the main very much better off’financially than most people.

“ Owing to the dry spell, butter production could not be expected to differ greatly from last season,” continued the Minister, “ but cheese manufactures had been exceedingly substantial, and should show an increase over the 1926-27 figures.” The problems of land settlement were next discussed by the Minister. “ The ownership of land is not now fashionable,” said Mr Hawken. There was now none of that scrambling for .land which obtained a few years ago, but that was bad for the farmer, as it forced up the capital value of land. Whenever the demand for land diminished the farmer benefited. In regard to land improvement Mr Hawken said there were secondary clay and fern lands in the Dominion which would be brought into production as had been the case at Karaka, but money at 6 or 7 per cent, was a far different proposition from financing at 4i to 5 per cent., and the pre-sent-day cost of breaking in land was very high. A great many people, including Mr CL. W. Forbes in a recent speech, had advocated further land settlement, said the Minister, “ I find little or no genuine demand for land among the people to-day.” All along land had been available for settlement, and latterly on very reasonable terms, but so meagre had been the demand of late that little of it had been taken up. Full advantage had not even been taken of the offer of land for nothing, conditional upon certain easy improvements being effected over a period of 10 years. The fact had to be faced that most of the unbroken land left in New Zealand would cost as much to bring into production as it was worth. Those taking up such land had to be prepared to live frugally for a number of years if they were to win through, and only keen and resolute settlers had a chance. If such people were not coming forward in New Zealand how could new arrivals from overseas, lacking local knowledge, be expected to succeed? In advising caution the Minister said: “ The Government has been hard put to it to keep established settlers on the land. We have to wipe out the mistakes of 20 years ago.” He instanced a case where two decades ago the State bought from the Maoris 15,000 acres for £3 an acre. This figure had proved so much more than its value that recently it had been writ-

ten down to 12s 6d an acre. The department was out to aid the farmer to make the best use of his land. It was building up a competent staff of instructors who were doing their part to raise the already high standard of farming in the Dominion. Championing the Rural Credits Act Mr Hawken said that the system of fiveyear term loans which it replaced had done as much harm as anything else to the farmer, since he could not be expected to pay off a loan in such a short period, and because it involved him in heavy legal expenses from time to time, these amounting not infrequently to the amortisation percentage of the loan. Far better results were expected from the new system, which ha deemed the world’s best method of financing the farmer.