HELP FOR FARMERS

Stratford Evening Post, Volume II, Issue 146, 17 January 1933, Page 4

HELP FOR FARMERS

PAYMENT OF RATES STRATFORD COUNTY DISCUSSION At the meeting of the Whanga. momoha County Council, yesterday a letter was received from the Strat ford County Council asking support to a resolution urging county councils to place before their Parliament ary representatives the desirability of the Government paying all farm w ers’ rates to local bodies for the current year, and at the same time waive its claim for land lax. The chairman said the proposal involved a large sum of money. Cr. Gower said there was little chance of obtaining such a concession. It looked too good to be true. Cr. Law said the Government was being given so much advise as to how to overcome the dilhculty that if it listened to all it would be in a quandary. It was certain that unless relief was given to farmers county councils would soon be financially embarrassed. In their own case, despite the fact that the council had put into effect every possible form of economy, unless some relief was given to farmers to enable them to meet their obligations the council would soon be in financial trouble. The majority of the ratepayers were small sheep farmers who had receiv_ ed no income for the past three yars, so it could easily be visualised what the position would be if times did not improve. The time had certainly arrived when it was necessary that county councils should be given assistance to enable it to meet its obligations, though, he thought, posy sibly the Stratford resolution went too far. The banks had intimated that they were prepared to advance the Government sufficient money to enable the rates to be paid and other concessions. It. wa> contended by many that if a tom were raised the interest would ultimately have to be paid by the man on the land. He agreed with that contention to a certain extent, but a loan raised for such a purpose would undoubedly spread the burden over a wider period and would, moreover, give relief to local bodies. Cr Ford moved that the council support the resolution, with the proviso that it did not prejudice the claim., of the farmers for relief in other’ directions. It was obvious, he said, that the Government must as_ gist the farmer, but there were other directions in which the farmer could be assisted—in the reduction of interest and of land values. He thought there were only two ways in which the world difficulty could he overcome —the revision of monetary values and of land values. He recognised that the Government at the coming session of Pa: ikirnent would review the position of formers, and while it was advisable to give relief in the shape of a portion of the rates it would also be necessary to give relief in such a way that farmers who did not pay rates.' such as share milkers, would also benefit. Cr Law s aid the position was that a few solvent ratepayers were paying 100 per cent, of their rates while the majority were not paying. The chairman said that applied m rerard to the payment of rents and other obligations also. Cr. Law in seconding the motion said that it would bring before the Government the necessity for doing something. The motion was carried.