FARMERS INCOMES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 7, 12 September 1944, Page 5

FARMERS INCOMES

Sir ? — Figures of what is incorrectly called "gross farming income' ! tu-e given by the Government Statistician for 1942-43. Thest\ are gross farming output figures and in no sense indicate returns to farmers. Road rail and sea freights factory commission Government and othei charges, as well as Government reto.ntions are included in the "gross income'' figures of farming with all the increases in costs of services, independent of the increased costs of farm production. To be fully significant to the .public the expansion or contraction ol value anu

volume of exported goods are necessary, since it is no indication of a satisfactory state of affairs that produce in the "agricultural" section (which includes the growing of vegetables under temporary war newithout stint of money fer* tiliser or labour) should have increased nearly £4 millions inmmonety t 46 per cent in value and 39 per cent in volume, from 1939 to< 1943. Products in the dairying section dropped 2 per cent in volume in 1943 as against 1942 a which was 4 per cent clown on 1941. The dairying section includes honey and eggs that considerably increased in price. An increase in quantity or value of pastoral products has sometimes represented loss of capital—flocks and herds being reduced by excessive and in the absence of &tat-s istical information on this the fact that the volume of pastoral pro* ducts remained at the same figure in 1943 as in though less than 1941 ? is hardly ground for optimism, since it is notorious that land, has been passing from dairying to pas« toral use. There is apparently a cfh.ange for the better ait the mo* ment but again it will be unwise to mistake an. improvement! that is due partly to a patriotic urge for a symptom of genuine farm recovery. Yours etc., A. E. ROBINSON, Provincial Secretary.