THE NEW FARMER

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 90, 10 January 1920, Page 7

THE NEW FARMER

Moro than one revolution ie in i>ro(jrcss. on IJrilisU land, but very little lias ■ k-eii heard of perhaps the greatest, ,the ■advance of the farmer to commercial power (writes AV. Bench Thomas in the I "Daily Mail"). Arguing directly from present progress, 1 believe that British farmers will very soon bo the most powerful class in the community and to a largo extent ii de- ■ •pendent of the rest of'the world. They :, will almost certainly- own tlieir own s ships and be joined in the closest mutual e allianco with farmers in other park of .- the Empire, especially Africa. They, will come to do what Russian s farmers have already done. So fast kae co-operation developed in Eastern Russia 0 during the Inst two , years that the * Siberian farmers have become owners of t a number of the chief railways. Our s fanners will hardly own main rail--1 ways, though they may, indeed already o do," own bits of light railways; but the e. Agricultural Wholesale Society has al-| i- ready envisaged the , likelihood of- ironii- ing to own ships. o The zoitl for self-organisation anion? t British farmers during' the Inst nine ;- months, is now decelerating at a wholly unprecedented rate. i- Of the 230.000 farmers a half will soon o bo good co-operators, controlling . qreat f , and 'accumulating funds, 'i'liey are themii selves on the point, of absorbing the o trade in the by-products of their induso try. AVo duiH soon be buying the ■ ii 'strings for our tennis rackets from f<l ro uier.-; and they will be .supplying theme selves With their own fertilisers." Already Ihcy have made mutual agrocv inonts willi the. R.liodesinn farmers from o whom they will receive, maize and other s feeding studs, ami to wlinni they, will o return seed. They are establishing n o factory fur making corn bags as fnr o oil' as Bombay, "where the jute cornea s fibm." '.I'hey are about lo establish their own school's for training managers for their co-operative societies. The ,un:>scing siir■cess this-year of the I'rcston branch lias opened Ilieir eyes In (he value of the skilful manager; and, what is more, persuaded farmers Hint his brains are worth good money. There is already u line opening fur capable young men on Hie managerial fide of these farmers' socieiies which are Iwing formed.almost ■daily and increase ■■marvellously in size. ■ Those things are not.'dreams or vngne !" ambitions. The, definite steps are- lieing / '• taken; ami if farmers know their own iuleiesls, producers in Ihe Home cMinties, which are the most backward, will follow the lend of Ihe rest of England. Consumers will be sympathetic. If they can buy. as near as may be, direct from the farms, and the farmers can produce cheaply because they will cut out. middlemen's fees, food will go- down in price. Otherwise, not. 0 A big. essential social "change is nro- ,. reeding at n rate that astonishes even the dreamers.