“Some Misunderstanding”

Press, Issue 31095, 25 June 1966, Page 8

“Some Misunderstanding”

On the basis of remarks made by the chairman, Mr P. C. Ensor, in his address to the annual conference of South Island high country sub-sec-tions of Federated Farmers at Timaru this week concerning his projections for the Mackenzie country, and the reported remarks of Mr D. McLeod, of Grasmere, at the same meeting, it appeared that there was some misunderstanding of his recent address to the Lincoln College farmers’ conference, Dr. K. F. O’Connor, officer in charge of the Lincoln sub-station of the Grasslands Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, said this week.

Dr. O’Connor’s address at Lincoln was one in a symposium on land use in the

national interest, illustrated from the Mackenzie basin. “Because it was not immediately concerned with the interests of the individual runholder but rather with the national interest, I examined the case of the regional pastoral industry improving soil fertility and sheep numbers at the supposed maximum possible rate,” said Dr. O’Connor. “The maximum rate implied that most saleable ‘surplus stock’ would be retained for breeding and wool production. “Only under such conditions of extremely rapid flock increase would it require 13 years for the level of additional income to exceed the level of development costs. At slower rates of stock increase the level of additional income would exceed the level of de-

velopment costs at an earlier date, as many runholders already know from well conceived and well carried out development programmes on their own properties. “The national interest, in my view, demands a much more accelerated increase in stock numbers and soil fertility than is likely to be easiest and most quickly profitable for the individual runholder. For this reason I consider that there should be substantial public investment in pastoral development in the high country. Such public investment will demand widespread and sustained public confidence. Therefore I am concerned lest any misunderstanding lead to a lack of confidence in the pastoral development of suitable sectors of the high country.”