SEEING IS BELIEVING

Cue (NZERS), Issue 28, 31 July 1945, Page 17

SEEING IS BELIEVING

— By

\ XPERT are agreed, that < there * " will he a very keen demand -for primary produce from New Zealand for a considerable number of years following the cessation of hostilities. In the alleviation of distress in countries where supplies of foodstuffs have been depleted as a result of, the war, good markets will be assured for some years for such countries as New Zealand. This then is the period when New Zealand should maintain and even improve the quantity and quality ,of her exports if she is to gain a, firm footing in the overseas markets when the present desperate demand has been satisfied. . *

If any plan is to succeed for an extension of New Zealand’s trade, it must have the full co-operation of the overseas manufacturers and buyers and that of the Dominion’s own producers. This co-operation can only be achieved by the producer having a clear picture of the requirements of the overseas customer and the customer knowing the conditions limiting production. - < i

; In New Zealand there are experts representing various overseas purchasers who know the requirements of their employers. There z are also specialists in every branch of primary production who know the needs of the overseas agents and at the same time

have an intimate knowledge of 1 the factors at present limiting the primary producers in conforming with those requirements. ' ; .

It may be argued that there is in existence and -'in operation all the necessary machinery for the purpose of improving and increasing the quality and quantity of New Zealand’s primary produce. It is admitted, that the Dominion has all the material with which to achieve the object as outlined, but it is considered here that better use could be made of it than at present. It is from the rich productivity of the land that has come the present high standard of living. The land has provided amply in the? past,' and the country’s future economic well-being will be largely dependent •: on what it will, produce in the. years ■to come; It is essential, therefore, to maintain and improve this fertility on which so much depends. . ‘ -

The outstanding problem appears to be that of inducing the producers to accept and put into 'operation modern scientific methods which halve been tested and proved by highly specialised experts., Once' a certain method has passed the experimental stage and has been proved an economic success by experts, it is adopted by a few pro., ducers- in. tai relatively short space , of time, and in the course of a considerable period of years may become fairly universal in practice. It is this time

lag which h® to be overcome if M advantage is to be taken of all pro\ economic methods. . The testing ' grounds for any new development are" the agricultural c - leges—-one in the North Island and one in the .South. When thoroughly tested at the colleges themselves and by experiments under varying conditions in various . .localities, these developments, if proved successful, are accepted by the experts, whose job it then is to impart the new discovery to the farmers. Most farmers who have been managing to make, ends meet in the past by the application o their own methods are not particularly receptive towards anything l .that may appear to them as being of an experimental nature. In other words they feme to be thoroughly convinced that the proposition is sound in every respect before being put into operation. It will, therefore, be readily appreciated that the experts require to exercise; high-pressure salesmanship to ensure that their knowledge' -is accepted by the farmers. '■ . • ’

The' mediums’ through which the experts usually work are lectures to farmers’ groups, * educational films, written articles, experimental plots and field days, in addition to individual visits to various farmers. Highpressure salesmanship is required the whole time. , Frequently the results are disappointing. ; (

Outlined below is a suggestion; for establishing a useful medium through which the experts can work, besides supplying the information to the farmers in its most palatable form—(demonstration of results in their own locality and, what is most important, of the relative costs. /•' I ’’ *' " / •

It is 'suggested that the Government might purchase in each (district an economic single-unit farm . property, representative of a fair cross-section of the district in question. The farm

would be run in accordance with a budget which would be prepared by experts while the farm itself and the farm accounts would be open for inspection at all reasonable times by the farmers of the (district. /

In order that j the object should lx achieved, only sound economic farming practice should be put into operation and nothing at, all of a purely experimental nature tried. If experiments were carried out, the whole purpose of the scheme would be 'defeated and the resultant financial loss would tend' to make the property an object of ridicule. It is envy which is to be encouraged, and there is no more sure way of inducing a man to follow cer- 1 tain methods than by proving conclusively that such methods are better than his. It is natural then for him to wish either to equal or surpass'the . results achieved by others.

Where are these experts and howare they to be obtained? They are 'now operating in the various districts and are paid a salary by the Government for their services. The preparation of a budgetary programme covering the operations of a ■ farm' of ' the type mentioned would take up > very little of their time, while the results .should considerably exceed any..previously obtained by the use of t e present mediums for* imparting their knowledge. In view of the benefit to the community of a scheme as ou» lined, it is reasonable to suppose that every effort would be made by various departments concerned make the men available for the s or periods necessary for planning programme. '

The task of finding; a manager t * such a property should not P many, difficulties. / z There is a num • of discharged soldiers who posses . necessary practical (skill for the cessful operation of a farm o description. '

Sufficient inducement could be offered a man to undertake the responsibility of running/a demonstration? farm under budgetary control. He would have to be paid the standard rate for management in' line with the allowance under this heading made on properties of a similar size, and lie could also be given the option of purchasing the freehold on an instalment mortgage at the end of a period of, say, five years. The price of the property would require to be the original purchase price less any accrued equity as the result of efficient management. . This manager would be assisting in the preparation of the budgetary programme and would .be cooperating • with the specialists during the whole period in* which the farm was being used for demonstration purposes.

There is much that could'be achieved in z siuich a plan over a five-year period. First, the practical application of the latest : (Scientific economic farming methods would be demonstrated to all the farmers in the district in a form which would be readily acceptable to the majority. Secondly, the general production of the farm itself should have z increased over the years, besides being, of a better quality. ■ Thirdly, a certain number of the surrounding farmers would have adopted at least some of the me th eld’s demonstrated with a consequent increase in • the

quantity and quality of their produce. , Fourthly, a ; returned serviceman has been indemnified against loss for a period of five years, during which time he has gained invaluable experience in addition to becoming the owner of the farm at the end of the period at the original! cost, less any accrued equity. * z '■ . '

The whole scheme is costless with the exception of the time expended by the experts, which in any case would not be charged against the property. It could well be that the time spent by these men in this connection would achieve substantially / better results than if . they were spending it in an endeavour to induce the farmery to adopt their ideas without any practical demonstration. z ‘

The effect that a Dominion-wide scheme of ■•. nature would have on. primary production -in New Zealand cannot he estimated. It would mean that farmers would be producing the materials and goods for which there would be the greatest demand. The quality of New '• Zealand’s exports would improve, thus ensuring a x more ready market '‘for them. Good husbandry would become firmly established and -the fertility of the land would; be maintained and improved. Thus would the rich farmlands of New Zealand be preserved and the natural wealth of the country retained. /