FARMING PROBLEMS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 189, 9 May 1944, Page 3

FARMING PROBLEMS

Opposition Leader’s Tour Of Country Areas DRIVE FOR INCREASED PRODUCTION I'arming problems to which his attention hud been drawn during u three and a half weeks' tour of the Hawkes Bav. Waikato, Auckland and North Auckland districts were discussed, yesterday by .the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Holland. He returned to Wellington at the weekend and left last night fur Christchurch. Referring to the drive for increased production, Mr. Holland said thiit what was badly needed was a local plan Io be handled by the primary production councils, in which a system of targets for different commodities, and a list of .priorities, would be laid down for the guidance of Hie , primary production councils and farmers. “I have been greatly encouraged at the splendid response to my appeals for increased production,” said Mr. Holland. “I approached the problem from the point of view of Britain’s peril rather than from the more local or narrow view of

local politics, subsidies, bonuses, etc.; and everywhere T found! primary producers only too anxious To help .Britain by producing the maximum of which they l were capable. Everywhere I went, farmers said they wanted a lead from someone in authority as to the best way of helping Britain. "As an instance, one farmer wanted to know whether it would be helping Britain if he killed his lambs now, at 341 b. weight, or kept them till they were 441 b., at which the price falls steeply. Another typical example was an inquiry as to whether the farmer would be doing the best war effort by growing linen flax or wheat. . “As I moved further north,” said Mr. Holland, “the problems changed considerably. The burning question up there is gumboots, and no words will solve the problem or give the necessary relief. I personally investigated several instances where women are actually working on dairy farms in bare feet. Ordinary boots are useless, and gumboots are in many instances unprocurable. What the Governmeiit ought to do is to give anyone who can procure gumboots an absolutely free hand to do so. Gumboots arc just as essential to •the dairy industry as a lathe is to an engineer. You just cannot get more dairy production unless an ample and continuous supply of gumboots is assured. Many farmers urged that till ample supplies are available, the assistance of the dairy factories should be sought to ensure equitable distribution. Labour for Farms. "Manpower is a burning question, and it is not merely a matter of taking men out of the Army on to the farms. In many instances it goes back two vears, when so many men were taken off the farms into the services. One producer told me be regularly turned off over one thousand baconer pigs each year, but he lost all his men, and now he turns off none. He would gladly turn to again, but has no breeding stock. “Most farmers will need to have, the right to nominate men in the Army tor their farms, as accommodation is a burning question, and it is not practicable to send a strange man to share, accommodation with the farmer’s family. Another burning question, said Mr. Holland, was fertilizer. Whatever might be said about the merits of serpentine super it was a fact, nevertheless, that a very large proportion of farmers would much prefer to be supplied with straight super so they could do their own mixing. He had met quite a few farmers who like serpentine super, but the overwhelming majority preferred straight super and their own mixing. "I made it my business to see as,much as possible for myself,” said Mr. Holland, “and one morning I was up at a quarter to five to see a farmer and his wife who, incidentally, had three young children, hard at work, and halt their herd of 90 cows were milked long before daylight. The mother had to help in the home, and after milking had to prepare breakfast and then cut lunches for school. “There is no doubt these dairy-farmers are doing a magnificent job and are deserving of the greatest praise. In many cases they are without electricity and other amenities which in town are regarded as absolutely essential. . Inspection of Factories.

“I also took advantage of the opportunity of looking over a number of factories in both town and country, and was much impressed by the standard of efficiency displayed. Every town-dweller should, if possible, make a visit to a milking shed and a freezing works, and I doubt whether he would ever again complain of his lot. “I was very frequently asked for information about profit-sharing schemes, and at one centre met a number of timber workers with whom I discussed prof-it-sharing for over two hours. “I received innumerable representations about such matters as manpower releases from the army,, fertilizer supplies, bobby calf levies, heifer calf subsidies, gumboots and the like, and these will be the subject of representations to the Government. I had frequent long-distance discussions with the Acting Prime Minister, Mr. Sullivan, who, I am bound to sgy, was most anxious to fee kept fully informed. On a number of occasions we were able to get quick decisions on problems on which I had made representations to him.”

Mr. Holland was shown over large areas of land suitable for soldier settlement, but he said proper planning was essential and supervision by practical men with local knowledge must be provided. It was impossible, he said, to settle men on the land in Northland by making decisions from a Wellington office, and no one else but the local farmer had the necessary- practical knowledge.

Mr. Holland referred to Ills suggestion that a large defence area north of Auckland should be made available for dairying purposes. This area, which was not now being used for defence purposes, had been pointed out to him during his tour of the far north, he said. Formerly it produced 60,0001 b. of butterfat a year, and that from only two-thirds of the area. At present there were 400 head of store beef running on the area, ana that showed that it would be feasible to plaee dairy herds on it u.t once. There were four houses on the area and three milking sheds, and he had learned of two experienced young farmer®, one of them on furlough from the Middle East, who had been brought up in the district and could immediately get herds into production. Mr. Holland said that on learning of the possibility of restoring this area to production he. bad telegraphed to the Acting Prime Minister, who had replied at. once that he would have the matter investigated to see whether the suggestion could be put into effect.