COMMANDEERING THE FARMS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3098, 31 May 1917, Page 6

COMMANDEERING THE FARMS

Sir.-jWo country farmers have been! "hugely amused at the audacity of Mr.i All port, who calmly asks the ActingPrime Minister, evidently in all sobcr-j ness. to take over iwid run tho farms, of this Dominion for the benefit of lu9, comrades, tho 20,000 Government servants.' whom he apparently regards as the "great: I ams" of'the country. The farms are' to be exploited as goins concerns, fully: stocked, and farmers, if fit, are to bn: Employed as Government servant to man--age them. The independent f.inuer i?.: in fact, to be brought down to ("he level' of the 20,000. and bossed, possibly, by I this sapient. Mr. Allnort, who pror.xnindsj the extraordinary scheme. ■ He evidently took the Minister's breVituj away, for all Sir James could say Jii replv was that he would refer the reque »t; to the Cabinet. Mr. Allnort. however;?, ■thonnlit the "difficulties of the scheme--,. could he overcome," and proceeded tojj descant upon the exploitation now hein»K practised by the farmer. These Oovern-i';* ment servants seem to have lost all senFOj; of nr'oportion. if they ever possessed it,, and apoear to tbink'aud act as if tbeyV are not to b° called upon to make any-;, sacrifice at all, and expect to h" treated'like so many spoilt darlings. They arej entirely oblivious to the fact that tlm. farmers of thjs Dominion, by 'Trason of; the rommandnering of their nmluc- l-v-i the British Government at prices mnetli under current market values., are contributing collectively more nerTiead towards; war exnenditure" than the producers jn| aiiy other part of the British Dominion;,: an'l doing it willingly. - The Canadian as well as the English-.; and Irish and Scottish farmer is rece>v- :; in<r present full market value for all he;; rnn produce, and a comparison of Home prices with those current here? oneht surely to convince all the grousers;, that the lines.of the New Zealand Civil Servant have fallen in very nleasantl nlnces. Let Mr. Alliwrt and his com-! rados compare the Home prioes of fo°*! nrodu'ets with those mow current in. this -, Dominion, and not to forget that wagesi in Kew Zoaland for work performed by, fhe Civil Servant are about doubl» whati is even now being paid at Home. It is| to be hoped that Sir James will take) courage and tell Mr. Allport very plainly; what he thinks about snch outrageous,proposals.-! am, etc., ■