DRIFT FROM LAND

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19987, 12 July 1939, Page 12

DRIFT FROM LAND

LABOUR POLICY BLAMED PUBLIC WORKS PAY PRICE GUARANTEE PLAN MR, ROY’S QUESTIONS , (IVn-lknmmtary R.-portci-.) WELLINGTON, this day. The Government's proposals ;o bring more land into production were criticised ay Mr. McL. Roy (Nat.. Clutha) when the Address-in-liepiy debate was resumed in the House of Representatives yesf.crdav. Mr. Roy asked whether it was advisable for the Government to be contemplating a programme of this nature when large areas of good land were going out of production at present. The drift from the land had become pronounced in the past few year.;, he said. This was due to the attractive rates paid on public works. Farm workers were drifting to the cities, and were being engaged in work of an unproductive nature. Mr. Clyde Carr (Lab, Timaru): Is city work unproductive? Mr. Roy replied that T he farmer today had to adjust himself to a new set of economic conditions. The argument had been put forward that the increased number of tractors in use on farms was a sign of the farmers’ prosperity. ’ That argument was erroneous. Tractors were being purchased because there was a shortage of skilled labour to handle teams A horses. It was almost impossible to obtain a first-class man at present. Adjustment Commission He added that the Government members had been correct in saying that the number of bankruptcies among farmers had decreased in the past 12 months, but they had not taken the work of the Adjustment Commission into consideration. Mr. J. Hudgens (Lab, Palmerston North): Who set up the commission? Mr. Roy: The farmers wore going bankrupt because of tiie Government s policy. Mr. Carr: The eases all da 4 e bad;. Mr. Roy: The member for Timaru is also a iittie out of date. Mr. Carr: You would think that. Mi - . Roy replied that the farmer, who had contributed a big share to the prosperity of New Zealand in years gone by. was entitled to more consideration from the Government than lie was receiving at present. The State Advances had practically vanished so far as the farmer was concerned. Meat and Woo! Guarantee The Government should give the House some indication of the method that would be employed.to make tiie proposed guaranteed price for meat and wool workable. He understood that petitions were in circulation asking the farmers to request the Government to provide a guaranteed price for these products. “Who will pay for the deficit if if occurs over a number of years?” he asked. If there had been a guaranteed price during the slump period Die country would have had to face a substantial deficit at the end of the slump. Would this have been met - v

by the taxpayer or by borrowed money? "Who wdl fix t ll “

teed price for wool?" concluded Mr. Roy. “Once the price is fixed, will the Government also fix the costs? Will the price be high enough to enable farmers to compete in the labour market with other industries?’’