HIGH COUNTRY FARMING

Chronicle (Levin), 20 August 1947, Page 7

HIGH COUNTRY FARMING

Press Association)

NEED FOR IIELF ON NATIONAL SCALE

(Per

WELLINGTON, August 19. If the probiems of the high country farmer in .the South Island were not taekled iinmediately, disaster would overtake those, runhojders, said Mr. D. 0. Kidd (Waimate) in the Hoiise of Representatives toniglit when speaking in the Imprest Supply debate. He said that no other brancli of farming hal sulfered so badly from nialadministration as the back country run. The auction system of lease had begun the probiems "of the high country farmeV and others included injudieious burning, bad subdivision, pests and erosion. Jdather tlian fcllow the high country M ue abandoned, Mr. Kidd said he would prefer to see the land given to the run holders. It would be a bad day foi New Zealand if that couutry was allowed to go out of production and Jeteriorate further. Mr. Carr : What would happen to oui; (ine wool? Mr. Kidd: That 's the reason why we should keep this land in production. Mr. Kidd said that men farming the higli country had been debarrqd from u revaluation' of their properties, theii jverheads had piled, up and they were under great diffieulties when crving to procure labour. He suggested to the Minister of Agriculture that younger men should be given the ipportunity of learning all that the nigli country farmer could teach, othor wise in time the high country farme.vould be irreplacable. Mr. P. Kearins (Waimarino) said aigh country farming probiems were n .-.pecialised job. Dealing with the auc lion and cotumandeer systems oi ielling wool, he said that if a vote were taken 85 per cent. of farmers would be in favour of tlie cominandeei oi' apjiraisal system. Mr. Gillespie: That's all the pro ducers of coarse wool. Mr. Ivearins went on to say that 90 per cent. of farmers were dissatisfied with the speed at whieh wool clips were sold at auctions. Mr. Goosman: A farmer doesn't hav\ lo sell it. Mr. Ivearins admitted that a resorvc could be placed on wool but at auction it took iive seconds to dispose of a clip .vhich had taken a year to grow. Mr. Sim: Buyers go round and value it first. i Mr. Kearins: I'm not talking aboui that. I'm talking about the speed at whieh it is solu. Mr. Holland: We vvill put tlirough n ltew millions tonight. Mr. J. K. McAlpine (Selwyn) said a suflicient price inducement must be offered to retain the high country farmers otherwise production from high country runs would be lost i'or all time. Once these stations had been abandoned they were nevcr fully re stocked. An important feature of liign country farming at the present tinn. was tliat it made little drain on over seas funds . as it drdr not require ex pensive implemeuts or fertilisers. It tlie present lcaseholu system were al lowed to continue it would lead eithe. to greater exploitation and accelerateo erosion or to abandonment. If neces sarv high runs should -be hiade avail ;tble rent free to auy pferson willing to take them up. Catchment ooards wer" doiug valuable work to counter erosion but an undue burden was falling b\ wav of rates 011 those in the higli country whereas the burden should l)c shared by the whole of the country. to safeguard the soil as a national asset. Anolher ditticulty in the high countn was that it avus iinpossible to pa\ wages competitivc with those available in sheltered urban industries and vir tually no maintenance had been doue nn high country runs since the outbreak jf war. Mr. McAlpine suggested tha. a taxation allowance should be madi ;o euable a portion of the present aj> pa rent profits from higli country hold ings to be set aside fo'r later mainten uice. He also proposed that by taxa riou rebates a sum should be set asidu to meet the contiugency of heavy snow iosses whieh were inseparable from aigh country farming. Such reserves ueed not pass to auy individual but hould be regarded as being established I'or the statiou itself. Tlius, in the event of a cliange of occupancy the reserie would reniain to aid the new runliolder in the event of iosses. II011. li. Seinple said erosion had been going 011 t'or generations and its alanu ing proportions were still apiireciatetl by toc fevv people. It would be unfaii to attempt to burden high countn farmers with the full cost of anti erosion measures and the Govermnen was bearing a portion of the cost — in soiue instances most of it. .Mr. Semplc said there would be a mightv big prob lem to solve iu the high country and ussociated with ic was the problein of low-hing land where onlv a thin veneer of eart'n lield it together. Floodmenaced the low . country. seriousiy while in the high country shingle pit - •./ere forming because of erosion. Four-fifths, or more than 6,000,000 acres of high country in the South Island, was eroded, one-third or !2, 000, 000 acres had lost between 25 to 50 per cent. of the topsoil, and the tota! loss of soil whieh had heen washed into the sea was estimatefil at 1,500,000,000 tons. The erosion probiem had Deeu aggravated instead of checked and erosion alone was a probiem whieh hact to be taekled on a huge Scale. Overstocking, constant bi?rning an-1 pests were mainly responsible for the downfall of the Molesworth station whicli was a typical example of high country probiems. He was now conviiiced the country ivould liave to facc up to a huge expenditure to control liigh country probiems whicli had become the responsiliilitv of the nation. Mr. R. (r. Gerard (Ashburton), said that in his eonslituenev tliere were runliolders who were living Iif daily fear of Hoodiug a'nd its consequent destruction. He was afraid that by the tinie the Roval Gominission 011 the sheep farming imlustry brought .down its report, the dainage would be done. He suggested «that oue way to help higli country farmers wo'ukl be to cliange tlie oxistijig tenure system so tliat they

eould obtain finance. Mr. A. Baxter (Raglan) said no farmer had greater probiems than the higli couiitry farmer. Tlie old auction system of tenure was fatal to goocl farming. Tlie House adjourned at 10.30 p.111. untli 2.30 p.m. toiuovrow, \ i