UNREST AMONG FARMERS

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 68, Issue 5947, 24 May 1944, Page 5

UNREST AMONG FARMERS

CAUSES OUTLINED ADDRESS BY DOMINION PRESIDENT OF FARMERS’ UNION ‘•lf you whip a good team of horses they are sure to object sooner or later, and the same applies to farmers who are working as hard as then can,” said Mr W. W. Mulholland (president of the Dominion executive of the Farmers’ Union) at the annual meeting of the Mid-Canterbury executive. “One of the causes for the present unrest among farmers is the driving they have had by the Government the feeling is that the Government has been not only out of sympathy, but actually antagonistic to the farmer,” said Mr Mulholland. He added that it was to be hoped that the Government would take a lesson from the present situation and change its methods. “We know that quite a few people are falling down under the strain of extra work. There are also some who could do quite a lot more than they are doing, although this is less true of the farmers of this country than any other section of the community,” continued the speaker. The decline in dairy produce, meat, wheat, and other crops had been great this year, he said. Much of this was due to the season, particularly in regard to the dairying industry; but a wonderful autumn had been experienced, and this usually meant that stock began the winter months in good ConditionVery little affected the farmer’s outlook as much as a bad season, and this was also one of the factors of declining production. “A very great task and responsibility is given to us, as farmers, in producing enough for the successful conduct of the war and after,” said Mr Mulholland. “We cannot win the war without a tremendous effort, and we must give every service we can to prevent a recurrence of such a catastrophe for at least 100 years.”