MORE SELF-RELIANCE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18355, 24 March 1934, Page 16

MORE SELF-RELIANCE

WHAT N.Z. WANTS “TOO MUCH GOVERNMENT” LAND VALUES EXCESSIVE Too much government and too little self-reliance are what Mr, W. Drabble, a retired South African farmer paying a visit; to Gisborne, regards as New Zealand’s principal troubles to-day. The fine healthy climate and the pro duetivity of the soil of New Zealand have made a marked impression on Mr. Drabble, but he is not blind to the need for certain improvements. Mr. Drabble, who is 7.°. years of age and looks not a day more than GO, comes of old English pioneering stock. He went out to South Africa in 1882, and remained there for 40 years, farming, mining, and following practically every pursuit offered by the country in its rough state of those days. Mr. Drabble operated his own mine, taking over one of the many small mines which were let, out on tribute to the workers because they had proved too small to be worked economically by a company., Farming operations were carried on in conjunction with the mine, all the food necessary being grown for the natives, whose staple foods were maize meal, ground nuts, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and meat twice a week, according'to Government ration. Passing through the rebellions and diffi-. cult periods, Mr. Drabble remained in South Africa until 1921, since when he has been domiciled in Jersey, one of the Channel Islands group, though he has thrice returned to South Africa on holiday visits. LAND A LIABILITY “You have here one of the softest countries in the world,” remarked Mr. Drabble this morning. “God has been very good to it. You have no pests, diseases, or vermin worth talking about. The trouble in New Zealand to-day is that the land is too dear. It is not an asset but a liability, and the price will have to come down, as It has done everywhere else. It is no encouragement "to a young man to have to take on land that will be a liability all his life. In Rhodesia wc give the young men an interest in the crops and cattle to carry them on. “There’s too much government in New Zealand. Everyone relies on the Government. You should have more self-reliance. .This is a line country, and it’s up to New Zealanders to run it. They don’t want outsiders to come in and run it for them.

“In the old days we used to produce nearly everything we needed on the farm. Now it's all shop . . . Tinned stuff —tinned music and tinned everything. “There is too much gambling in this country, too. Much of the farming is a gamble. And if the people here took more interest in their gardens they wouldn’t need so many amusements. There’s nothing like a hobby of some sort.”

Mr. Drabble mentioned with pleasure the afforestation work that had been undertaken in the North Island, remarking that it was one of the finest things the Government could do. On his way to Gisborne, he said, he had seen miles of skeleton trees on the hillisides, and he described it as a very dangerous policy to denude the country of its bush. CITRUS CULTURE URGED Comparing the climate of New Zealand with that of South Africa, Mr. Drabble strongly recommended the growing of more citrus fruit, and pointed out that where lemons would grow oranges would grow. In Rhodesia the citrus growers grafted the oranges on to lemon stocks, having found that the latter offered greater resistance to disease. “The thing to do is to get a thin-skinned orange,” he said. “The finest orange on the British market is the Brazilian —thin-skinned and full of juice.” Mr. Drabble also strongly recommended that geological surveys should be undertaken in New Zealand. Since the premium had been placed on. gold, he said, the old mines in Rhodesia wrere being opened up, and in this country a geological survey should be undertaken so that the miners should know where to go. Geological surveys of the soil also should be carried out in order that the farmers might know what the different types of land would grow to the best advantage. In passing, Mr. Drabble mentioned that in Rhodesia to-day many women were engaged in farming pursuis, and some even had taken up mining on small claims, which they were working successfully.

Mr. Drabble has made the most of his time in this district, viewing the country and inspecting the freezing works and butter factories. He leaves Gisborne at the beginning of the week for Napier, on route to Wellington, whence he will return to the Old Country.