FUTURE OF FARMING

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 184, 21 August 1937, Page 17

FUTURE OF FARMING

Wh^t Will Increased Production Mean? PROBLEMS OF SURPLUS The dominant notes in the addresses delivered at the New Zealand Grasslands Conference at Dunedin last weelc litive Feen the overwhelmiag importance of pastoral farming in the Dominion and the tremendous possibilities for further developmont, savs the Southland Times. Despite the remarkable progress raade in primary production in lecent years there ia ample evidence that there are tremendous possibilities xor future utilisation of the grasslands of the eountry. A gatliering of scionlists and progressive farmers euch as has just been Lekl focusea attentiou once more on tue peculiar situation • in which tliefarming industries throughout the( world hud themselves. It .would appear to bc a simple matter for the farmers fo go on increasing their efficiency and production indelinitely, but at this point-t^e economist, enters into the picture with his warnings about the doubtful possibilities of linding markets for greatly increased production. In former y.ears when agriculture was carried on under primitive conditions the gradual advance of improvjed methods was- only sufficient to provido for a steadily increasitig population and a large proportion of the population was engaged in the task of procTucing food and clothing from the land. A considerable change has como over tho scene in the last generation. Scientists have tackled agriculture very senously and have eifected radical improvemcnts which havo tremendously increased the ainount of production a unit of labour, and at the same time tlie increaso in population among etbo races providing tho bost markets for surplus production has slacken-ed aud secms likely to stop altogether. The result has been that throughout tho world poople have been leaving the land and drifting to the cities. New Zealand has not been bo greatly affected by this trend as some other eountries as until recent years the Dominion experienced littlo difficulty in disposing of its surplus primary production. Of late, howevert talk of restrictions on meat and other products exported to our prineipal market has become increasingly insistent and with production steadily increasing a not very optimistic search for new markets has been contemplated. A survey of agriculture in the United States of Amenca, recently showed that less than half of the population of the eountry was engaged in farming and that the general level of efficiency of tbe farming section was considered to bo low. Tho burden of the report was that if efficiency was increased to the maximum only about 10 per cent. of the population occupying only a portion of the land suitablo for agriculture would be needed to supply all the needs of the population. New Zealand ia now producing a great deal more than its own requirements and it is reasonable to expect that it will continue to supply a reasonable ehare of the requirements of Great Britain and other closelv populated European eountries which cannot easily become indepedent for food and clothing for their population,. Any great extra demand beyond that existrng at present is not in. sight now, although, without question, there are eountries which could readily draw on New Zealand for food and clothing if iinanciai circumstances' permilted. The farmer is tkus faced with the advice of the scientists to inCrease his efficiency and production, and by the doubtful outlook for tho disposal of his surplus products. Competition is keener than ever beforc in the history of the world and so the farmer cannot alford to disregard the demand for increased efficiency. Whatever the future holds for these industries, the demand of the day is for improved methods and the advice given at the Dunedin conference can bo commended. The economists will doubtless find means of dealing with problems which may arise in the future, and, a'ithougk farmers may be concerned with tkose problems even before thoy arise, they must first keep their own industry in cfficient order before they will have a reasonable claini to special consideration later.