STATE OF ABANDONMENT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 17956, 7 December 1932, Page 11

STATE OF ABANDONMENT

FARMS OF ENGLAND GISBORNE VISITOR’S VIEWS A period of decadence in regard to the pastoral industry in England appears to have set in in earnest, according to a recent visitor to Ehgland who is at present in Gisborne. lie said that many farms appear to be in a state of abandonment and that, farmers are being kept on their farms because the landowners and mortgagees know they would be no better off with changes of occupants. Tlie returns irOih their produce were so low that the farmers could not pay for ordinary maintenance. The result was that pasturages were deteriorating, and hedges were allowed to grow wild find spread out over much of the pasture. As a result of the low prices ruling for farm produce, land values had reached a very low level. He was visiting Essex one day at a point only 30 miles from London, and he was shown a farm of 250 acres of very fair country, with house and outbuildings, and situated beside a railway station. The whoh property was sold a short time before under a forced sale, for £9CO.

Stock prices were the lowest known to many of the present" generation. One elderly man be bad spoken lo stated that be bad known'prices to be lower, but that times were yrorsp' ai- present because of tbo higher standard of living. The visitor added Unit lie left England for New Zealand on August. 14. The conditions at Home since bis departure were outlined in a letter be received to-day from Worcestershire. Jt stated that the writer sold four bullocks in August for £l4 12s 6d. after pavirm £3 each for their keep. It was fortunate that he sold at that time, for the market went down later. On heifers he sold in October he lost Ids each as well as £2 10s each that die paid for crazing. Five ewes made Ms and five 28s. He bought. ~6 two-year-old owes for £1 apiece. Weaner hunks had been selling as low as £5 per IGU. equal to Is each. . ... Two small heifers, for winch an oiler of £l4 10s was refused in June, were sold at £l2 12s ed in October. Best bullocks wefe worth about ?0s «<?’ cwt.. and the writer mentioned at this point that lie bad never known bullocks to 1,0 SO .'heap. The best 10 of a Ifae of 40 bullocks could have beep sold far £l4 10s in the Tenbovy sale, but ut a laler sale at Leominster they brought oiiTv £'4 , , „ “T think beef will be cheaper ret. (he writer added. “T hope il w-R get better soon, or I do not know how a lot of the farmers will get on and pay rent.”