WHEAT ACREAGE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 183, 20 August 1937, Page 3

WHEAT ACREAGE

-Press Association.)

Mr. Sullivan's Tour in the South SOCIAL PR0BLEM IN COUNTRY

(By Telegraph-

" WAIMATE, Last Isight. After spcaking to yery rnany hun.dreds of wixeatgrowcrs and. their wivea ,during his .tour of Canterbury, tho Mini- ; Sster pf Industries (Hon, E. ti. Sulli-. , Ivan), addressing a large meetiug here, iSaid he was impressed with the social •problem affecting the countryside and proinised sympathy and consideration' !lor the domestie difficulties of farmers' 'v,-ives. The Government, he said, would have • to considex: the provision of facilities ! to make country life attractive and stop' the depopulation, and this involved housing farm workers, "I met growers individually and aa groups and at very large meetings throughout Oanterbury and fond them modest in the presenta-' ;tion of their ease. Eationally and xea'sonably .they presented .their difficulties [pjid the request for a reasonable price :to enable a reasonable standard 0 x living for their families to which they are as much entitled as any other section of the community. ' ' \ Mr. Sullivan paid tribute to ,tho growers' efforts to meet his appeal for. increasing acreage despite the controversy oyer price fixation lasfc time and the difficulties of the conditions where they had locally attempted to meet tho request in this national jnatter. Mr. Sullivan promised sympatheticj consideration of'the wheatgrower's xe-j quest and suggested the possibility ofj a flve-year. deveiopment plan for the^ whole wheat. industry. The Minister and Mfs. Sullivan proceeded to Oamaru to-day to further investigate .coiHJitioria tin the wheat areas,