The Dominion. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1917. FARM LANDS AND WAR ORGANISATION

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3010, 22 February 1917, Page 4

The Dominion. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1917. FARM LANDS AND WAR ORGANISATION

Hitherto tho effects of the war have been little felt in Now Zealand or by New Zealanders, with the exception of soldiers and their relatives, and wo have perhaps on that account been inclined to dally with problems which were bound, to arise, though they have not yet been acutely felt. We are' now in sight of conditions which will bring homo more- sharply than in the past tho seriousness of. the task which confronts us, and problems of Avar organisation are arising which will not be easily solved. This applies equally to tho disturbance of industry occasioned by the war, and to ,line fact that a large proportion of the men who remain available for war service are much more heavily burdened with responsibilities than most of those who have hitherto responded to the call to arms. Tho number of unburdened single men who remain available is small. The exhaustion of tho First Division is in sight, and a few months hence none but married men will be available as recruits. The Government is to be commended for what it has already done to meet the conditions that are taking shape. Wisely and liberally administered, % provision of special' grants to Enable soldiers to meet their civil responsibilities will do away with a considerable amount of hardship, and tho creation of the Industrial Efficiency 'Board is a first step towards providing the machinery needed to deal with problems, which ia their total range will bo both extensive and complex. It is quite impossible to map out beforehand all the measures that must be taken to safeguard industry and cut down individual hardship, but in some directions there is a visible and imperative need for action in advance of what has hitherto been done. In this connection a proposal which has been laid before the Industrial Efficiency Board''by Mk. J. A. Young, M.'P., who is acting in the matter as the representative of the Tβ Awamutu Farmers' Union Federation) deserves particular attention. Tho problem raised is that of releasing men engaged in farming for military, service under just conditions to the men themsolves, and at the same timo doing what is possible to prevent a fall in agricultural production. Manifestly, this is a problem which immediately affects ;a great part of New Zealand, and has a close bearing upon the general welfare of the country at large. To enlist farmers under conditions calculated to throw land out of profitable use would be at once unjust to the farmers, and distinctly opposed to the national interests, but as matters stand at the moment this is liable to happen. Particulars of ■the proposal which Mr. Young Was commissioned to lay before the Industrial Efficiency Board were published in our news columns yesterday. Tho, Te Awamutu proposal is, in brief, that where a farmer is called up for military service tho Government should buy his farm as a going concern, paying for it in debentures, and find an approved returned soldier-settler to take his place and keep the farm going. This arrangement would serve three definite ends. It would, first; of all, relieve the farmer called up for military servico from possible worry and financial loss throiigS inability to dispose of his farm in tho time available; or inability to satisfactorily arrange for it being efficiently worked in his absence. Secondly, it would assist tho Government in its task of finding land for returned soldiers already possessed of farming experience, and capable of carrying on a farm already in working order. And in addition it would, as previously stated, afford some guarantee that there would be no appreciable loss in production through the farms of which the owners wore called up for military service becoming idle, lands or "going back" through neglect. Tho Industrial Eflicicncy Board had already mado recommendations to the Government iu respeot to farmore' free-

I rtolds somewhat on i.lin lines of the To Awamutu proposal, but obviously it is equally necessary that action I should bn Uikon in the case of leaseholds, bo far as State interests arc concerned it is just as necessary to secure continuity of cultivation or nroduofcioii in the case of leasehold as of freehold farms. As regards tlio interests of the individual farmers, the leaseholder is more likeJy to ne/ict assistance or protection tluia a freeholder. A leasecompelled to suddenly quit Cas farm, particularly if ho is just beginning to reap a return on the capital lie has sunk in improvements, in faced by'r-uin unless ho is enabled to sell out his interest at a fair price. Thero is no suggestion that farmers, whether leaseholders or freeholders, should be granted actual monetary assistance unless under the regulations, which entitle mon in town and country alike, in certain cases, to a grant not exceeding £2 per week towards meeting (jheir civil responsibilities. What is needed is that the outgoing farmer should bo enable to dispose of his interest, if he desires to do so, at a fair price, and that farms vacated in this way should be taken over as\ going concerns. To ensure the success of the scheme every care would, of course, have to be taken to secure suitable and qualified men as lessees or purchasers of the farms takon over by tho Government. It ia a matter in which the aid of expert local committees might be profitably enlisted, tho general stipulation being made that preference should as far as possible be given to returned soldiers. Tho whole question is one of organisation, and it is very desirable equally in the interests of farmers and in those of tho Btato that tho organisation needaci should be as speedily as possible perfected.