IMPORTANCE OF FARMING

Southland Times, Issue 23819, 17 May 1939, Page 5

IMPORTANCE OF FARMING

EFFECT ON STANDARD OF LIVING MR MULHOLLAND REFERS TO DIFFICULTIES (United Press Association) AUCKLAND, May 16. Friendly criticism of what he described as “an obviously organized campaign in favour of New Zealand secondary industries” was made by Mr W. W. Mulholland at the conference of the Farmers’ Union.

The tendency was to infer that the primary industries were not as important as manufacturing and that even if. the overseas markets failed the secondary industries would be able to provide all that was necessary to retain the present standard of living, he said. Not a manufacturer could turn a wheel nor get raw materials unless the necessary goods were paid for by produce grown on .New Zealand farms and if the standard of living was to be retained it would be necessary to sustain the export values revealed in the last three years’ records. Difficulties and dangers <had been created by exchange control, under which the New Zealand £1 had two values. The farmers’ difficulties were being increased by high costs and the widening of the gap between the internal and external value of currency would accentuate the position. Deterioration was now going on in the farming industry and it would increase as time passed. It would take herculean methods to overcome this tendency. The effect of the Government’s policy on the goodwill of New Zealand’s overseas customers must also be considered.