LABOUR AND THE FARMER

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22512, 21 September 1938, Page 12

LABOUR AND THE FARMER

GOVERNMENT'S WORK

PRAISED

MR H. E. HERRING SPEAKS AT

HORORATA

An outline of the Government's work for farmers during the last three years formed the main part of an address at Hororata last night by Mr H. E. Herring, member of Parliament for Mid-Canterbury- Labour, he said, was sometimes accused of being wanting in interest in the farming community, but that charge could not be sustained. The Government's record in the last three years had proved that it had the interests of the farmers at heart. An audience of about 70 heard Mr Herring attentively, and thanked him for his address. Mr J. Oliver, who presided, remarked that he was sure no member for the district had given such willing service as Mr Herring.

"It comes as an agreeable shock to me to know that my services have been so appreciated," said Mr Herring, "because I had felt that I had not given as much attention to Hororata as could have been given. I gather that I have perhaps given more service to Hororata than my predecessors." Mr Herring went on to say that farming questions seemed to him to be the most interesting subject for a district such as Hororata. The suggestion was frequently made that the Labour Party had very little sympathy with the farmer, but among its representatives in Parliament were eight farmers. The suggestion entirely missed the mark.

Need for Organisation

• The Labour Party had its own particular outlook about the country He considered that it was very rich in natural resources, but that it had been knocked about. Yet in spite of the scars mankind had wrought. New Zealand was still a very rich country. It should not be forgotten that the future of the country was wrapped up in organisation. Proper organisation could give every resident his share of its wealth. If there was poverty, it was simply a result of lack of organisation of the economic machine. The economic machine.should be made to function in the interests of everyone. The Government had tried to do the right thing for the farmer, he said. 11 was not the buebear that some, members of the agricultural community seemed to think it was. Because it had increased the wages of agricultural workers, among others, some employers could attribute nothing good to it. But there was a case to be stated to show that the Government had faced it: obligations. Rehabilitation of Farmers Four or five years ago it was said by the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates that 50 per cent, of the farmers were bankrupts. The previous Government had tried manfully to cope with the plight of the farmers, by Budgets, stay i orders, and Adjustment Commissions. The Labour Government had carried on so that the farmer could be assured of a reasonable standard of livin. and of being able to meet his obligations. .That work was now nearins an end. , , At March 31, 1934, the plight of many farmers was such that a radical departure from accepted procedure and the continuance of methods established by the old Government for the rehabilitation of the farmer were necessary. Capital and arrears of interest and rents wiped off by the Adjustment Commissions would probably total £6,000,000—a tremendous reduction representing the saving of about £300,000 in interest that was now no longer the obligation of the farmers. Tn addition, the terms of many mortgages had been increased. This was definitely a tangible benefit for farmers. The average rate of interest on new mortgages, too, had been decreased from 6.J per cent, in 1931 to 4 3-5 per cent, in 1938. In only 5.2 per cent, of the new mortgages had been at the rate of 5 per cent, or less; but in 1938 the percentage of new mortgages registered bearing interest at 5 per cent, or less was 88.8. The Labour Government, too, had set out to keep interest rates on loan money as low as possible, and that conveyed a benefit to farmers by keeping local body rates down. : "Served Farmers Well'

Fof' the first time in the history of this country, said Mr Herring, the Labour Government had provided £2OOO on the estimates of the Agricultural Department for bursaries for young men wishing to take a course in agricultural instruction at Lincoln College. That was only a slight indication of the Government's interest in farming- progress. It had served {he farmers well, in instituting the milk in, schools scheme and the Country Library Service. By instituting guaranteed prices for dairy produce it had taken a great step forward, eliminating the old system of haphazard marketing. All the "pickings' that went to overseas marketing interests now went into the pockets of the New Zealand farmers. The suggestion had been made that the Minister for Lands (the Hon. F. Langstone) had no land settlement policy. Mr Langstone certainly had a policy, but it was not comparable with the land settlement policies of his predecessors, which had proved disastrous. There had been tremendous losses on land bought by previous Governments for settlement; but this did not- deter -the supporters of past Governments- from criticising the present administration as being extravagant and reckless. Mr Langstone was prepared to go in for land settlement/ but he would not pay iancy ; prices such as had been given in the past. Mr Langstone was prepared to consider land settlement if the land was suitable and was cheap. He considered that an essential of settlement schemes was that a farmer should be able to get a comfortable living out of his holding. There would, too, have to be a change in the system of farm financing.