FARMERS' PROBLEMS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1763, 30 May 1913, Page 6

FARMERS' PROBLEMS.

MOTOR-CARS AND HONEY. CANTERBURY CONFERENCE. 'By Telegraph.—Pres« Association.) Christchurch, liny 29. The annual provincial conference of the r North Canterbury district of tho New Zeao land Farmers' Union opened to-day. 0 Mr. Geo. Sheat, the retiring president, t in his address, said they required to pause and think if tho Balkan war was :1 wholly responsible for tho iinancial n stringency. When one considered that tho advent of the motor-car and motor- , cycle wus responsible- for sucking up anything from three to five millions of money - in non-producing luxuries, any reasonable - thinker could sec that here was tho prin:l cijml reason for the tightness of money. ; Alter referring to tho satisfactory prices ; for tho Dominion's principal products, '. ho said the grain yields had beon disappointing, and added that when one con- - sidered that to grow a bushel of wheat s at the present price of land and money entailed an outlay of Ss. 2d., there was . not a. very heavy profit when 3s. Gd. wns 1 tho market value of tho product. It 2 was very doubtful whether if tile prc--1 sent price of lumb, wool, and mutton • continued and the labour unrest prevailed. . the Dominion might not in the near - future find herself importing instead of s exporting tho wheat necessary for the 1 staff of life. Added to the. cost of tho ■ land noro tho demands of the workers, - who were about to seek the aid of tho ' Court to decree that all threshing shall be done by the hour system, and not bv ? contract. With his experience of South ' Canterbury, where threshing under that • system had run np to Gd. and 7d. per ' bushel against North Canterbury's 3d., 5 it was quite within tho bounds of probability that tlicy might have their cliild- ' ren. cry for bread, 'and liavo none to : give. • Referring to labour matters, tho presi- ' dent said the scarcity of labour still con--5 tinned. Tlio Conciliation and Arbitration Act-had proved a delusion and a snare. It beoame operativo when applied to the employer, but a dead letter when applied to the striker. While lio gave Judge Sim credit for being absolutely impartial, the Act was powerless to arrest or deter strikes, and a wages board seemed to present the only solution of the labour problem. > 1 Amongst the remits agreed to wore the following:—That the Immigration Doparfcment he galvanised into life for the purpose of securing suitable farm and other labourers and domestics, also farm- ! ers with capital, no matter how small; 1 that where the Crown deals with Crown ' lands in any county council area, such ' county council be represented in _ the locati'ii" of roads,, arranging subdivision of the lands, and the fixing of rentals of tho same.