The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 1928. BRIGHTER TIMES.

Hokitika Guardian, 25 July 1928, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 1928. BRIGHTER TIMES.

There is the suggestion of brighter prospects'a head in the thought for the times to-day. Although the speaker refers m the main to North Island conditions, it is a fact that the seasonal conditions of the South Island have been no less favourable, and equally good returns from wool may lie anticipated in this Island. Following that deduction, we can be equnlly hopeful about the prospects of Westland in relation to the season and sheep. The flocks of the district have increased greatly on the: Coast, and especially in the southern district. The output of lambs has been a growing quantity, and if the lambing season in regard to weather is in keeping with what is going before, larger numbers than ever will be produced. It is a fact that business people have had occasion to complain about quiet times. But that has been a general complaint all over the Dominion. For the past three'years there has been a period of reaction, and few places have escaped periods of stringency. As a matter of fact we believe Westland has weathered the difficult times as well as any locality. The worst featuro here has been the stringency in the timber trade. In other respects production has been normal, and of late improving, and returns to the men on the land more satisfactory. We are not blessed with secondary industries to any great extent, and during the slump period the blessing was not missed. The timber trade, though it has been restricted, lias not resulted in disaster to the standing crop. The supply is still there for use as required, and there has not been .a loss of the main asset. There has been the loss of wages, but from the economic viewpoint, the commodity itself has not suffered deterioration, and the harvest is here to be reaped as opportunity demands, ane in that time the district will reap the advantage of the trade. The past season has been a good one for the farmers. Speaking of the Dominion as a whole, the hanking returns reveal a very healthy state of affairs. Indebtedness lias Leon reduced very greatly, nnd there must be a more buoyant feeling. As the producers seek to use their gains in legitimate channels to improve their properties, so the general prosperity of the country will bo served. The farmers will not he doing this recklessly. They have learned their lesson, nnd will adjust conditions to their means in a sensible way. But there is the power on their part to improve the general position of the Dominion in regard to labour and trade, and their common necessities in going" about their farm work will afford avenues for expenditure which must assist to improve the general outlook. Although there is this brighter aspect, there is not likely to be a boom period immediately ahead. The people have learned their lesson in the past, and the country will profit by that experience. In the less stringent period with the people in n more contented frame of mind, it should be possible to review and revise some of the disquieting causes which have assisted to make the position more difficult for the speedier settlement of the Dominion. Some main causes of the trouble have been high tariffs and heavy administrative expenses, together pith

the costs for labour and material. One. of the chief reasons for the dearness of commodities is the labour rates. The farmers who are the staple producers towards the country’s wealth, complain of the impost, and as a result do not use as much labour as the circumstances of their position require to comply with the demand for more production. Countries are finding out the burden of the wages impost, which has a tendency to block tlio roads to national progress. But tins; apart, there is the fact of recurring good seasons, the prospects of brighter times, and if the occasion is used by all in the right way, and the situation is not abused by recklessness or over demands, material advancement should certainly be enjoyed lor some time to come.