PRIMARY PRODUCTION COUNCILS

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 72, Issue 4, 15 April 1946, Page 337

PRIMARY PRODUCTION COUNCILS

Driving Force of Agricultural War Effort

r I ’HE Dominion’s , war effort from an agricultural ■1 point of view is one of which every farmer and individual associated with primary production might well be proud, writes J. M. Smith, Director of the Fields Division, Wellington. The production figures of those six years, representing the war effort of the farmers, stand out as one of the finest war achievements of this Dominion, and in its field comparable with that of the 2nd N.Z.E.F., the R.N.Z.A.F., and the R.N.Z.N.

HOW was this battle on the agricultural front so successfully waged? It can be explained by two short phrases—“untiring effort” and “close co-operation,” and in these the work of the National Council of Primary Production, the Primary Production Councils, and their committees stands out in bold relief. This organisation, operating in every part of the Dominion, co-ordinated the efforts of all primary producers and was instrumental in ironing out many of the farmers’ difficulties. It was also responsible for a strong liaison between the many Government Departments whose wartime activities closely affected farmers, and the farmers themselves.

Supply and Manpower Problems

The extreme difficulties under which this increased production was achieved must be considered in appreciating this production effort. Practically everything in the way of plant and material associated with farming was in short supply. The constant call for men and still more men to keep the three fighting services up to strength meant a shortage of manpower on farms. Fertiliser was in short supply, and following the loss of Nauru and Ocean Islands the farmers’ quota came down to 28 per cent, of that used in the immediate pre-war years. Fencing material, apart from posts, was practically unprocurable, and even posts and timber for maintenance of farm buildings were in short supply because of the general manpower position. Farm machinery, and particularly tractors,

was in short supply, and to add to the difficulties spare parts for the rapidly-wearing existing farm machinery were unprocurable and factories that could have manufactured some of these spares had full-time Army orders to execute. Petrol was rationed, and worn-out tyres could be replaced only with the greatest difficulty. The loss of our source of raw rubbers caused an acute shortage of those essential farm requirements such as gumboots and rubber inflations and tubes for milking plants. Baling wire for baling hay disappeared almost entirely for a while, and supplies of such commonplace items as sacks and seaming twine fluctuated, with shortages predominant.

Representative Organisation

It was very obvious early in the war that one of the main roles this Dominion would be called on to play in the war effort would be in connection with food production, and realising this and the probable difficult conditions under which primary producers would have to work, the authorities gave early consideration to the setting up of an organisation representative of all phases of farming. Thus in 1940, at the instigation of the then Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. W. Lee Martin), meetings of representatives of various primary producing interests, labour interests, and the various Government Departments associated with farming were called and the organisation known as Primary Production Councils came into being.

A National Council of Primary Production had headquarters in Wellington, District Councils of Primary Production were formed in the main farming districts throughout the Dominion, and Primary Production Committees functioned in the various areas covered by the District Councils. There were 37 District Councils and 272 Primary Production Committees, the latter having a total of over 1,000 members.

; The Minister of Agriculture was Chairman of the National Council, with the Director-General of the Department of Agriculture as Deputy Chairman. Other members of the council were representatives of the Royal Agricultural Society, Farmers’ Union, Sheep Owners’ Federation, Young Farmers’ Clubs, Federation of Labour, dairying and grazing interests, while there were two representatives of North Island District Councils and two of South Island

District Councils. In attendance at all meetings in an advisory capacity were officers of the Department of Agriculture, the National Service Department, and the State Advances Corporation, while from time to time officers of other State Departments were called in when special matters were discussed. The composition of the District Councils was much the same as the National Council, with additional- representatives from Pig Councils, commercial gardeners, orchardists, and agricultural and pastoral associations, where special types of farming were common to the district. In addition, local members of Parliament were exofficio members of District Councils, and many attended and took a lively interest in the affairs of the councils. Local Committees of Primary Production were set up by District Councils and usually consisted of 3 to 5 men in each farming district of the council’s area.

Without detracting in any way from the work of the National Council or the District Councils, it was the numerous small committees scattered throughout the Dominion which “carried the heat and burden of the day” and to which the thanks of the many are due for a job well an<J truly done.

Main Activities The work of the various councils and committees . cannot be fully detailed, but some of the main activities are set out as instances of the ramifications of the organisation. One of the principal activities was in connection with the drive for production. Each season production targets for the Dominion were set, and. it was left to the local organisation to put the necessary drive into the scheme. . The production figures quoted later show how successful the committees were in this respect,' and while often the results were short of those aimed at, this was no fault of those who spent much time and trouble organising the effort. Practically everything was in short supply, and this meant that frequently a big job of organisation was called for to enable the limited labour and equipment to be used to full advantage. However, seldom did the committee fail to get full co-operation from , the majority of the farmers. Right in the middle of the production season a call would sometimes come for a change in the production planextra cheese would be called for in place of some of the butter, and before the complete change had been made the call would be back to butter; potatoes in increasing quantities would be called for at short notice; additional vegetables for the armed services would be required. Yet despite

these heartbreaking conditions the committees carried on. One of the biggest problems facing the primary producers was lack of labour, and councils and committees were given the delicate task of keeping a balance between manpower for the farm and for the armed services within the general manpower policy of the Government. This unenviable task was carried out faithfully and well and the various committees, fully alive to the heavy responsibility they were carrying, gave recommendations to the authorities without fear or favour. So much faith had certain Appeal Boards in these committees that their recommendations in connection with appeals were seldom questioned.

In dealing with labour on farms during the war, it would not be out of place to pay a tribute. to the work of the rural womenfolk. Day in and day out, winter and summer, wet or fine, these women toiled alongside their husbands or sons, and at times in the absence of menfolk altogether, keeping ' production going. To them much of the credit of our wartime primary production is due. Fertiliser rationing was also a major activity of councils. While the main ration was merely a matter of simple mathematics, there were literally thousands of appeals on the basis of hardship or other grounds provided for under the regulations, and every case’ had to be investigated on its merits, and a decision made as to what was a fair and just allocation of fertiliser. . Practically all farm machinery was brought under control and releases made only under recommendation by councils. Particularly in regard to tractors was this a difficult and thankless job, for councils were frequently faced with the task of having to recommend from 40 or 50 genuine applications one or two of the most necessitous so that the tractors so released could do the greatest good for the largest possible number in the field of primary production. Councils were also in close touch with petrol and tyre rationing, the controller of these commodities making releases on the recommendations of councils, while other farm requisites such as gumboots, cement, etc., during times of acute shortages were similarly released. Other activities are those in connection with rural housing, harvest labour, rehabilitation of returned servicemen, and special farm reports. '

Production Details The following figures are eloquent of what was achieved during the difficult war years.

(1) Year ended July 31. (2) Year ended September 30. (3) Year ended July 30. (4) Wheat, oats, barley, maize, peas, and beans for threshing, potatoes and onions outside boroughs. (5) Owing to change in allowance of butterfat represented in milk and cream consumed, the total butterfat figures given are higher than those quoted in previous years. (6) Three seasons only; year’s ended June 30.

The above table adapted from the annual report of the Director-General of the Department of Agriculture, 1945.

t“Wartime Farming,” P. W. Smallfield. N.Z. Journal of Agriculture, December, 1945.

Services Appreciated

The councils were at the zenith of their activities when the war finished. As the organisation was purely a wartime one, the activities of councils and committees have been brought to a close. The members who for practically six years have given their services freely and without monetary reward can rest assured that these services have been fully appreciated. All State Departments who have been associated with councils and committees have been loud in their praise of the assistance they have at all times received; controllers of various commodities, in their thankless task of making that little go as far as possible, have expressed their earnest appreciation of the help at all times given by councils.

The Department of Agriculture, the Department of State most closely associated with the organisation, records its sincere appreciation of the assistance rendered the Dominion by the many hundreds of members who, through their work and co-operation, have been instrumental in creating wartime production figures of primary products of which- all may be justly proud.

Average of five Seasons 1934-1939. Tons. Average of five Seasons 1939-1944. Tons. (1) Butterfat .. 189,900 (5) 191,500 (5) (2) Meat .. 470,000 (6) 526,000 (3) Wool .. 134,000 148,000 Acres. Acres. (4) Area under chief cash crops .. 348,700 406,500

Average of five Average of five / Seasons Seasons 1934-1939. 1939-1944. (Acres). Average of five Seasons 1939-1944. (Acres). >• ■■■ ■ ■ (Acres). . (Acres). Wheat \ 255,900 .. 214,200 255,900 Oats . 57,700 .. 63,400 57,700 Barley " . 30,000 .. 22,400 30,000 Maize 4 . 8,100 . ... 6,900 8,100 Peas and 33,200 Wheat Oats Barley Maize Peas and beans 19,100 .. 214,200 63,400 .. 22,400 6,900 beans 19,100 33,200 326,000 " 384,900

AREA UNDER CEREAL AND PULSE CROPS FOR THRESHING