PLIGHT OF THE FARMERS.

Waikato Times, Volume 97, Issue 15272, 23 June 1923, Page 9

PLIGHT OF THE FARMERS.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —Allow me to draw attention to certain matters relating to the farmers. I am a King Country backblocks settler, having taken up this land when mostly in bush, so have a good idea of things as they are. People in towns harp on the high price of land as being the cause of so much hardship among farmers. Now I can prove that is not so in hundreds of cases. The men that are hit most are those who have gone back into the bush. After they had a certain amount of land cleared they had to seek financial help, as anyone wh6 has had bush land will know. So they went to the banks and stock companies. They were all right so long as they got a reasonable price for their produce, but when the slump came in 1921 and 1922 they got nothing for their wool and meat. During those two years it would have been more profitable not to have shorn the 6heep (except for the harm it would have done the sheep), but the price they got for it did not in many cases pay freight and, charges. Practically the same may be said of the meat. One of my neighbours sent 700 fat wethers through the freezing works, but Instead of getting anything, he had to pay £l6 10s; another sent 150 fat bullocks, and he had to pay £SO to defray expenses. I could quote many such instances, and of course we have all been losing heavily on cattle. I paid £8 each for a line of bullocks, kept them nearly three years and sold them for £5 5s besides losing a few. Now, the banks instead of helping us, raised the interest from 5J per cent to 7J per cent. The stock companies did nothing stressing during 1921 and 1922, but in 1923, when sheep were worth something, they pressed and arc pressing their clients and drove them off their farms. Their system is starving them off. They grab all money from wool, stock or produce, refusing to pay any interest, or giving them anything to live on. The inevitable occurs. The mortgagee sues for his interest, and then advertises the farm for • sale “by order of the Supreme Court.” Immediately the stock companies drive away the stock to the nearest sale, to bring what they can, with no discretion as to classing. In one instance a stock company took away a man’s stock, which were ewes just lambing, some lambing on the road. They were put into the sale with no guarantee as to the number of lambs; in consequence they were so mismothered that most of the lambs would die. The price they got was 6s Cd each, lambs given in, and they were in good wool at the time. The man had given £2 each for them the previous year, all being young. Now, what has the Government done to prevent such occurrences? Air Massey keeps saying that money can be got, but he ought to know the contrary. I have applied to nearly every insurance and financial company I think likely to lend, but get the inevitable answer that they are not lending to farmers, or that they cannot entertain the loan, which amounts to the same thing.—l am, etc., ONE OF THE SUFFERERS. Raurimu, June 15, 1923.