The Feilding Star. Oroua & Kiwitea Counties Gazette. Published Daily. MONDAY, FEB. 4, 1895. FARMERS AND TRADERS.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 184, 4 February 1895, Page 2

The Feilding Star. Oroua & Kiwitea Counties Gazette. Published Daily. MONDAY, FEB. 4, 1895. FARMERS AND TRADERS.

« : . There is an idea among farmer s whether dairy, cattle, or sheep, that the newspaper press of the colony expem too much from them. They alleg. that whenever prices for their produce are falling, and times are bad iv cons quence among all other indus trios, they are advised in a mom paternal au<i patronising way to won. harder, and to exercise greater econo my. At first glance it would appea< they have some reason to complai hut when one comes to analyse tb<qu aiiou, and to look at it from ail points uf its bea'ings, the position taken up by the Presti is nut easily assailabl N- w»paper writers know very w iii the products of the soil, such w •<•!, hu'tH' Hud cheese a un .uiugfi which keep the co-.u *mg (iuld has done much, and c- a ,hi> dnut* a little to help, but they x iij.n \liicli pass a* «y, aud ni t • ■ik onue ••er-n •grasped" v I -v c knows them ugaiH Ou more » ' wli ie the *oil is ev«r pro>iu<- v, a " >v grat ul. Year alter y«»r ; u« ry of thn nlluru vaiuu aie reaped, the herds ■ mrrwased, the operation* ■■ ugaged in v •• lug are »-ju- . while the fl -uk* < the ?heop >vv> a -ire augmented d the clioa of w 1 tie heavier year t>y year. But Ai>■uly done by hard work, and y be made <>f t<ou ticial utility : J producers by ecouoin^'. i'arui t:« too apt to look ou thai gen >;iasH ttnoirn as " people iv t>usinea- ' as a class to be envied, because t'.-j have nut in their avocations to suti-' from tbe consequences of epidemic among flocks, floods, and ail the other ills common to the faru-er, but lh« fact is that the " busiuess man " ua cares, worries, anxieties, voaaes, ana troubles, from which the farmer is free. In the case of the latter he ui.i_> protect his stock or crops by (q---exercise of ordinary care and by taking those precautions which are either suggested by experience or by common sense, while in' the case of the business man, it is quire different. He must take a lot of chances in the way of dishonesty, bad debts, fires, long credit, and so on adinjinuuvu As to which is the. better lot, we ask : — Who ever heard of a farmer sighing .;tpC go.unttf business ?:. ;Wbile on (he. Hmd, Wio hue not ho&xi Hmdseid •

of business men sighing to " get on a bit of land " in order to enjoy life, ■ and to rear their families in health and l happiness? The farmer has by far the best of it, and he only exerciseß j that privilege which has been granted j to them by common consent all the world over, of grumbling at all times and at all seasons. Nevertheless it is on the farmer the prosperity of the j whole world depends, and such being the case it is not surprising that newspaper men should take such " a lively , and paternal interest in their welfare." It is the province of the press to give advice, and that of tbo farmer to pursue the even tenour of his way, satisfied that as a practical man he knows his own business best. At the present time the farmer per sr, whether agricultural or pastoral, is overtaxed There can be no question of that, yet the people in the large towNS, such as Auckland, Dunedin, Wellington, and Christchurch, are imbued with tb© idea that he can be squeezed a little more in order that the burdens of " they who dwell in cities" may be lightened. But, in the meantime, until '* a change comes o'er the political dream," the best course they can follow is that recommended, viz., hard work aDd economy, for by these means alone can they jrork out their own political Balvation.