Farmers Stand Alone In Production Of Food

Chronicle (Levin), 13 May 1948, Page 2

Farmers Stand Alone In Production Of Food

"The -world is short of food simply because there ■ are not enough people engaged in the business oi growing food. Too much energy is being expended on things that don't .matter ; in time the world will come to realise that food, clothing and shelter are the most important material things needed by mankind. The world as a whole prefers films to food production, it prefers cosmetics to clothes, and heer to buildings. We can see this in New Zealand. The real work of the country , is not being tackled. Superphoshate is not getting out on to the land, and superphosphate is the largest single agent outside work in increasing production. The\ plain fact is that the farmer is doiifg his job, out is not receiving the assistance that he should be receiving from other sections of the community. ' ' Thus stated Mr. H. J. McLeavey (Ohau), president of the Manawatu Provincial Federated Farmers, iu tne eourse of his address at the annual pro viucial conference heid in Palmerston North yesterday. This state of affairs, he said, was true throughout the world and if there was anotlier war the energies of all natious naturally would be devoted to that instead of to producing food and clothing. it was regrettable but true that all sense of proportion had been lost 111 New Zealand. ,A11 sorts of unnecessary industries were in being, were beingj started, or were mooted, and at tlui' sanie time there was not enough labour or power for existing industries. L'nless the standard of living in New Zealanu was to decrease very considerabiy a j great deal more work would be needeti from the people of the Dominion. It was silly to try to increase farm production if the effort was not going to be made by other sections of v the

community not oniy to heip tliem to do it, but also to deal with the produce when the increase became a reality. - "We have more motor trucks and more railway trucks than we ever* had in our history, but they are not being used as much as they were ten years ago," he said. "It all seems so stupid when by puttiug our backs to the wkeel we could be doing so muc-h more and be so much better olf. There seems to be a reluctance on the part of the community as a whole to faee up to the question. Leisure is all very well, but it does not produce anything exeept perhaps a good deal of discontent and that is the oue tliing of vvliich we have too much in this country at the preseut time. We would all be a great deal happier if we were working harder. The position in regard to transport of food to the Old- Country is a tragedy. With much greater facilities than we have ever had for handling cargo, the rate at whicli it is handled has declined very materially. No good purpose will be served by having postmortems. All classes of society in New Zealand should get their fepr.esentatives together to discuss the matter and see wliether they eannot get some improvement. " The 40-hour week was introducea with the ideu of spreading work. Now t'here was more work requiring to be done than there were people to do it, and it was ess.ential if tlie country were to retain and increase its standard of living that the people of the •ommunity must work liarder. If they do not do so social security would be just a drearu. "We are finding today that people are reluctant to go iuto the baclcblocks, vet the backblocks are the sheet anelior in our whole farm production (Tnnomy, " said Mr. McLeavey. "With-