DISCOURAGING THE FARMER

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 10, 7 October 1919, Page 8

DISCOURAGING THE FARMER

Sir,—Mr. Sykes, M.P. for Mnsterton, advocates in place of voluntary' dealing in land tliht the Government should '■nmpulsory take places at their valuation, and that "tho farmers of' tho Wnirarapa" are in favour of this proposal. I aui afraid Mr. Sykes is only expressing | tho views of a, feiv discontented.individuals, as 1 am sure tho farmers in the Wairarapa are British to the backbone, and nothing is-so abhorrent to aiEritisher as anything "compulsory." Of ■co,urse;,if no land is available it may l"X necessary to use compulsion with some of the large holders, but, representing a farming district (and compared with other parts of New Zealand, it is a closely/settled district), I think it comes with a bad grace from him, as he was a farmer himself once, and his son now holds,- I believe, one of the best soldier's sections in the Wairnrapa,'bought .under tho voluntary system at a vei'y reasonable price. Mr. Hornsby also advocates a system prpposed by 'Mr. A. P. Whatman, but that instead of cutting up his sheep station and settling it on his own proposals, <>old it as a-whole to a man who was at the time holding a' large area. No wonder land is for salo all over New Zealand. The price 110 doubt is doing a lot towards it, but the landowner v'rnrge and small) sees trouble ahead. Everyone's hand seems against him, and I am afraid taking all that enterprise and grit out of ' im that are necessary for tho country at the present time to produce double as much as formerly to pay for the war. Instead of improving his farm and saving money he is going in for motor-cars; etc., and living an extravagant lifo to what he did formerly, simply'for the reason that "he thinks lie might just as well enjoy,him. self while lie has the money, and leavo posterity to look after themselves. This is quite a different feeling to tliat which prevailed in the past, and .l nm afraid it is not conducive to tho welfare 0i New Zealand.

Until MlO fanners form a political .union they will inevitably be "sat upon" by flvery other .political organisation. The. farmer raised no objection to being heavily, taxed, and his produce commaudecred during the war, but now 110 expects something differenl to M.P.'s still advocating compulsion., At tho presenttime the farmer has to pay a 'land tax 'which is a capital tax) on a graduated scale; a tax on the income 1 e makes' oft' that land, besides local rates, and he is liable eompulsorily to pay tlireo times of his land and income tux towards !any loan proposed, under severe penalties. Everything he produces is taken eompulsorily at a fixed priced-wool, meat, butter, cheese, aiid wheat. JBut now cornea the point: Whatever ho requires to nth his farm is at; famine prices, and if lie requires to build a house, erect a fence, 1 or any other improvement, the price of i labour, material, cartage, etc., i& so high that ho is compelled to abandon it. Then: is- no .fixed price for these. things. I know the answer will.be: Look at tho prices lie is getting for his-produce and 1 tho, high price of land; but these prices do not compensate him, as they are all fixed by the Government, and his expenses are not; and if an accountant made a true balance-sheet of their farms they would-find that their farms were not of the same value as before the war on account of the heavy taxation, labour, and expenses. . Consequently tho feeling is'growing fast in New Zealand amongst all classes of land owners that tho bAt plan is to sell out and invest their money m stocks or other securities, •

I am not a pessimist, and was'born in New Zealand, and have been 011 the land all my life, and consider New Zealand is the brightest spot at the present, time in the wholo world; but I do ask those who are not 011 the land to consider for one moment the hard work and toil the land owner does and the small return lie gets as compared w r ith the business man. if lie gets a net. return of 5 per cent. 011 his capital I am-sure 110 would be more than satisfied. Now is the., 'time' ,for overyono to, pull together in New Zea : land, and niake it the happy home for all; instead of that, it seems that'overyono is ftt loggerheads and trying their best to ruin tho country as long as they get their own selfish .ends—l am, etc., SETTLEK.

N.B.—What did the "dairy farmers" think of compulsion when their butter was taken at a fixed prico for the townspeople? They would have given. -it"fre'o" for the soldiers at the front rather than tiiat— S.