AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL INDUSTRY.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15870, 9 April 1917, Page 9

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL INDUSTRY.

TO THE EDITOH OF "THK FBESS." Sir, —On reading the utterances throughout the country of Sir James Allen and the Hon. Mr Mac Donald on various agricultural and pastoral problems, one cannot fail to be struck with the fact that neither of theso gentlemen seems to realiso the true state of affairs. In the "Weekly Press" of March 21st, Sir James Allen is reported to have said that it seemed to him a national necessity at the present time to keep all farms going at their normal stock-carrying and grain-growing capacity in order to maintain the Dominion's output of foodstuffs, and he urges farmers not to allow their patriotic sensitiveness to debar them from. l appealing to tho Military Service Board for ex-' emption when it is necessary to do so. Tho Hon. Mr Mac Donald has been with characteristic energy touring the country trying to induce farmers to put in 250,U00 acres of wheat, and appealed I to their patriotism to do so. Jf'ollov,'- ' ing on Mr Mac Donald 's address to the I A," and P. Association's annual meeting in Christchurch on March 22nd, I pointed out to him that it was not a question of patriotism but ability, and that the farmers wero unable to put in wheat bccauso tliey could not get tlio necessary labour to do so. I also stated that, in my opinion, not another agricultural labourer should bo allowed to leave the country, and all tho speakers after mo ..endorsed my views. Mr Mac Donald, in replying, said that so long as a farmer gavo a definite assurance that a man was wanted to grow wheat, that man would be exempted, showing clearly that he utterly failed to grasp tho situation. Firstly, in the name of all that is wonderful, how can a farmer apply for exemption for a man if he has not got one? Secondly, Mr Mac Donald will not exempt any farm labourer unless for wheat-growing. What, then, are tho other farmers to do for labour., who have no land suitable for growing wheat? Sir James Allen very sensibly says (as before herein quoted) that ho considers it a national necessity to keep up the production of tho country to its normal condition. Mr Mac Donald refuses to allow the farmers any men to do so, and Sir James Allen ! acquiesces!! In the last tlireo weeks '' or so, both Mr Lloyd George and Mr i Bonar Law have, in tho House of Com- | mons, emphatically stated that in tho J present state of tilings the supply of l produce to the Empire was of more importance than men. in a letter to the "Dominion," dated August 3rd, 1916; I pointed out that several of tho leading papers in England had stated that they considered tho colonics had sent enough men to tho front, and that they would do more sorvice to tho Empire if they kept the men at home and increased their output of' produce, as tho few men they could send would bo more than compensated for by tho increased supplies of produce. I stated that the time had come when sending more men would bo at the expense of production, and 1 prophesied that if proper steps wero not taken the production of the country would seriously deteriorate. This prediction has been • verified. (See Dr. Newman's address at the opening of the Marton A. and P. Show early, in March). Now I venture to say most emphatically that if drastic steps are not taken by the Government immediately, tho production of this Dominion will fall off in the ensuing year in a far greater measure than last year. The people of this Dominion will suffer by tho increased cost of living, and Britain and her Allies will suffer from tho decreased supply of produce to a deplorable exteak „ i ,. - ' The Government of this country should wake up and face the position with energy and common-sense. It is no good going in for "wild cat schemes such as supplying farmers; with traction ploughs, ono farmer help- ] ing another and such-like nonsense—-by the time they can get out traction plants the seeding ti,me would be gone, and as for farmers co-operating and helping one another, littlo t good can be done in that-way. It is computed that 13,000 men of military age hj»ve been enlisted from the agricultural community, snd about the same numher from the pastoral.- It is also calculated that it requires one man for the working of every 67 acres of crop ; therefore to put in the 250,000 acres of wheat that Mr Mac Donald states the country requires, would take 3700 men alone. The number of labourers employed in agricultural labour of military age) in 1911 was about 28,700. Of these about 13,000 have been enlisted. leaving about 15.700. It does not thereforo take one long to . realise what an enormous loss in production must take place this year if something is not done. Tho Government will say probably that they have set up a National Efficiency Board to look after the whole matter (and it is a very admirable body), but comes about two vears too late, and before they can collect and boil down the mass of evidence they will receive, it will be too late to bo of usri this year. The time for putting in cereals is the next three months, and every week that tho dearth of labour goes on means a loss of hundreds of acres of cereals to tlio Dominion, and the same applies to green crops for feeding sheep. 'W here is the food for fattening sheep and lambs to come from next year? But it-is no use particularising, the shortago of labour applies to every part ot the agricultural and pastoral industry. In order to mitigate (I don't say save) the disaster that must ensue to the Dominion and the Empire, the Government must - not only not enlist any nioro men from the agricultural and pastoral community, but must return to tlie land all the agricultural and pastoral labourers now in camp. In this connexion a Christchurch pap?r has a suggestion which I beg to commend to the consideration of the Government. It says the military authorities might very well give ploughmen and teamsters now undergoing their training, extended leave so long as they were doing farm work. I would " add that the rate of wages should also be fixed by the Government, and that the principle should be

applied to all classes of agricultural and pastoral labourers. There is no more vital and important question at this time for the Empire or the Dominion than the production of produce, and it is a question which must he faced at once and quick and lively, or disaster must inevitably ensue. Sir. if I have seemed in this letter to unduly criticise Sir James Allen and Mr Mac-Donald or approach the •subject in a spirit of cavil. I beg them to accept my assurance that it was far from mv intention. Tho whole country realises their colossal energy and patriotism, and in writing as 1 have, I havo been inspired by the hope that. I have been able (as a farmer of some oO years' experience) to place the situation before the Government clearly and in a light which I am inclined to think thfev have not quite realised, and the gravity of the subject must be my excuse. —Yours, etc.. H. D. VAVASOUR. Blenheim, April 4th.