“JUST HOLDING ON.”

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 493, 30 June 1932, Page 4

“JUST HOLDING ON.”

How Farmers Fare in Depression. LOWER COSTS URGED. I . It could not be expected that a farmer would continue on his land if he had to stand up to a fall of half its value in two years, said Mr INI. E. Lyons, secretary of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association, in an address to the Canterbury Advertising Club last evening On “ The Community of Interest between Town and Country.” To-day there were hundreds of Canterbury farmers holding on simply because they did not know what else to do. If some lowering of costs did not come the present conditions would be intensified, for a fall in the volume of production was the most serious thing that could happen in the Dominion. There was a definite responsibility on the part of the business community and everyone in the cities to take their part in reducing the farmers’ costs. The costs of the towns in relation to the farmer, could, he considered, be reduced materially without detriment to the Dominion. A great many of the farmers’ troubles to-day were due to the excessive costs of distribution. The farmer must be given some incentive to remain on his land and some hope for the future. It might be asked: What was the farmer prepared to do? In the past many farmers had been very strong free traders, but he had never known a time when the farmers were more tolerant to industry than was the base to-day, and more particularly those industries which gave hope of labour absorption on a large scale. Many of them, however, did think that a number of what might be termed infant industries were being fostered at too great a sacrifice. Distribution was the greatest method by which the town could help the country. The high cost of city property, the high cost of running these businesses and the high costs of goods and services were partly responsible for the position which the farmer was in to-day, and until these costs were adjusted to present conditions there was little hope of relief being afforded