Mr. L. J. Wild Puts Case For Man On The Land

Chronicle (Levin), 12 July 1949, Page 7

Mr. L. J. Wild Puts Case For Man On The Land

"What is our malady? Briefly it is erosion — erosion of several kinds. The first is soii erosion," deciared Mr. L. J. Wild, O.B.E., M.A.', B.Sc., Pro-Uhancei-ior of the University of New Zealand and former headmaster of the Peilding Agricultural High S.ehool, in a broaacast addressed in- the main xo university .stu^en-ts and town aweners. . ... . 1 • .The . aft'airs . of K the farmer— .witJti 'whom. he had. .been associated mOst of his life— were very. niuch the eoncern of the citiqs, and ( today . farmers were needing lielp urgently. "I am here to put our case fof^yoilf syihpathetic con-; sideration," said Mr. Wild, "and* to warn you of the cohsequences if you refuse to help. ' " To us soil erosion is the f arms slip•ping' from beneath our feet; it is twofif'ths of the land we occupy undeu the scourge to a greater or less extent. "Our forefathers attacked the forest - with axe and fire, introduced rabbits, deer, opossum— -but the tale is faniiliar. They knew no better. Perhaps in passing it is worth considering whether you should pour so much fertility down the sewers into the sea, when the natural source of it all, the soil, is slip ping that way too.

"But there is something positive you cau do. I am told that to eure this malady many kinds of doctors are required, engineers, and foresters, botanists and zoologists, students of vvila life, geographers and geologists, even economists. Bome of you are being trained in these matters. We beg youi help." Another form of erosion was the drift of population to the cities, eontinued Mr. Wild, and it was the^'best ot the people who were being taken. The third form was oue ori which there might well be some research, 'what could be referred to as tne' - 'erosion of genes. In' the great cities n appeared to be a condition of life that those most suitable for iniproving the quality of the human race were leasl likely to reproducO their kind. More people on the land, said Mr. Wild, could result in arresting the processes of erosion and waste, and m producing sufficient food of all kinds for the country. "It means closer settlement and smaller f arms, ' ' he said. ' ' Some wrii say that means a peasant population, but stone walls do not a prison make, and smali farms do not a peasant make — not necessarily. It means that planning will have to be done." Scores of difiiculties and obstructions could be approached from fresh angles and with new techniques. The problem ; was a world- wide o'ne, part only of the' greater n'ne of increasing world popi' lation and 'decreasing soil resources. "'Thi's country eaii clouble its production of food," dedlared the speaker. '"That is' the' position. You can read 'about it, think about it, Wnte abour . it, lalk about it, and vote about it. A hope many will *be going into tlic country to practise the profession for which you have.fceen trained. It can give you something; too, remove souih of the artificialities and trivialities of city'lifh; and briiig you into eonthct with values that" arfe rc'al, substantiai and permanent. "*