THE CALL OF THE LAND.

Thames Star, Volume LVII, Issue 15995, 8 December 1923, Page 7

THE CALL OF THE LAND.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE FARMER. At the Lunch Club at Palmerston North on Tuesday last, Mr Oscar Monraid delivered an address on “Farming” a subject which should be near the heart of everyone in this district.

Owing to the wideness of the subjuct, Mr Monrad was unable to deal extensively with several matters .of vital import, but as far as he proceeded his ta/lk was interesting to a degree.

In dealing first with the subject generally, the speaker dwelt upon the difficulties which confronted the practical farmer, some of the issues being so enormous as to reach the very depth of our social system. As 95 per cent of our exports were the produce of the land, it would be ciuite rational to expect that education had a decided leaning in the direction of the farmer, but this, he declared, was not so, as the high educational system was mainly on business and professional lines, and not sufficiently adapted to the pupil’s attention being directed towards farming, and the usefulness of such a career. A new educational policy was required, providing for greater facilities for the lads becoming efficient farmers, for the would-be reformers of the country had forgotten to make the work of the farmer, the labourer and the womenfolk more Interesting. Proper education would have a vital bearing on the town versus .country problem, as statistics would show. In 1881 the population in the country was, roughly, 60 per cent, and in the towns 40 per cent., and subsequent statistics showed an alteration of the position, till in 1916 the figures were: In the country 45 per cent., and in the towns 55 per cent. Unless this state of affairs was checked the position would become such that the country would hold only 40 per cent, of the population. “We are a farming community?,” stated Mr Monrad, “consequently the foundation of our jpconomict structure must be the land, and it must be sufficiently strong to support the superstructure—the town —the functions of which are to attend to the administration of the country’s affairs. Competition may be the .Jife of trade, but wasted energy is a loss to this Dominion where so much requires doing, and the destinies of the country can be guided by a higher education as viewed from the point of productivity, and, secondly, by publicity and discussion, so that the drift may be checked in time. “When we turn to the financial aspect, we find an equally unsatisfactory position. Local bodies can raise loans at any rate of interest, md hand it on to the ratepayers, but the farmer, on the other hand, can only carry on his operations if the rate of interest is reasonable. I recognise that the aspirations of the town are legitimate and progressive, but the comforts of the cities are out of all proportion to those enjoyed by the producer, and consequently the latter is attracted to the town.” After a reference to the gifts with which the Dominion is endowed, the speaker proceeded to state that from 300,000 to 400,000 caaripd on the development of the country to-day over an„ area of 66,000,000 acres. It was only their courage and hope which countered the long .'hours and trying conditions and prevented a flocking to the towns, for the energy expended on the farms must hiave been at least double in the actual results achieved. There was room for millions of people on the ’land, and millions were actually required to develop the broad acres. Much capital was also required, and unle/ss the towns called a halt and refrained from their present practice of borrowing—thereby producing an abnormal town growth out of all proportion to the development of the country—they would surely regret it, and unless the country was developed more rapidly, the towns would! experience serious financial straits :in the course of a few years.

Touching the qyiestion of immigration, Mr Monrad. condemned the statement made bjy members of the British Empire de legation, that the best lands in Nen' Zealand had already been taken up, and that further road and transport facilities were required pm >r to further settlement. “Imagine' it,” he said. “A country with only' half a million people on the land, ai id able to carry at least ten to say nothing of the towns. This 13 ,nd is starving for labour to improve it, and f. rmers to farm it.” No onet could think of a more practical method of Empirebuilding than to sh ist British people from the over-croa r ded areas and transplanting, them on a British country which is oa ly on the fringe of development. ] ’here must be something radically wrong with the immigration, laws wi hen they could only show a surplus t if 700 during the last nine months; hai tween arrivals and departures. N«n r Zealand could do with great mimh«i 's, and was not

getting them. In conclusion, Mr Monrad referred to the high rate of overhead charges allowed by business people, whereas the farmer had to stand or fall by the open market with al r l the handed-on costs heaped upon him. This was one of the main factors why farming was unattractive. Certainly the land was high-priced, but it had declined about 40 per cent, and was gradually coming down further. The productive value was the true value, and all calculations were based on an average derived from this.