EMPIRE FARMERS’ TOUR

Hokitika Guardian, 14 March 1930, Page 3

EMPIRE FARMERS’ TOUR

VIEWS ON AGRICULTURAL

PROBLEMS

CHRISTCHURCH, March 12

Leading agriculturists from Great Britain, Canada and South Africa will arrive in Christchurch 'with the party of. Empire farmers that is engaged on a Lour of Australia and New Zealand. The party has already completed a tour of the North Island. Yesterday was spent in a launch cruise in Pelorus Sound.

OBJECTS OF TOUR,

The tour is being managed by the British National Union of Farmers, and 'is under the personal supervision of Mr A. Canliam of London. New Zealand is now the only Dominion in which a branch has not been established, and efforts are to be made to commence operations here during the present visit. The union was first commenced in South Africa, and a party of 150 South Africans visited Great Britain under its uaspiees in 1927. The movement was taken up in England, and a head office was established. Since that time branches have been formed in Canada and Australia. One of the. main objects of the union is to bring the Empire producers into close touch and to create an Empire trade preference. The tourists include many interesting personalities. Mr A. Canliam, of London, secretary of the British National Union of Farmers, is acting as manager of the tour. The leader oi the British party, Mr Samuel R. Whitley, is a brother of the late Speaker of the House of Commons. He lias farmed in Surrey for a number of years, and lia.s been a member of the British Da ’-y Farmers’ Association for about thirty years. He is connected with the Dairy Research Institute attached to Reading University. Sir Richard Winfrey, of Castor House. Peterborough, is another prominent member of the party. He was a member of the Ho’tse of Commons for Norfolk from 1906-1923, and was Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture from 1916 to 1918.

ADVOCATE OF SMALL HOLDINGS. A noteworthy member of the visiting party is Sir Richard Winfrey, a wealthy English newspaper proprietor and agriculturist. Sir Richard Winfrey, who was knighted for public services in connection with putting returned men on the land, is president of the Lincolnshire Smallholders’ Association and is an enthusiastic advocate of small holdings.

“I ani a Ann believer in small holdings,” he said in an interview, “and from hvliat I . have seen and heard of this country I believe that many parts of. it do lend themselves admirably to. close ..subdivision and intensive farming.” He believed that settlers would have a better chance of success if they took up small sections, from fifty to seventy acres of good land so that they could effectively work them themselves and so. keep down tile production costs.

lie said that the Lincolnshire Smallholders’ Association controlled 3CG9 acres, on which there were over 2(0 settlers, and the scheme had been an unqualified success, many of the tenant farmers having been able to retire with quite a respectable competency. At the same time he expressed the opinion that both capital and hard work had to be expended to make a success on the land in New Zealand, but for the keen and progressive settler there was a great chance.

SOUTH AFRICAN VIEW. Interesting comparisons between farming in New Zealand and that in South Africa were drawn by Mr A. V. Allan, a Natal landowner. He remarked that what struck him was that New Zealand fanning was intensive while South Africa’s was extensive, but ’ that was largely because New Zealand was but a comparatively small country while Africa was a vast continent.

He remarked on the splendid farming climate of the North Island and the wonderful pasture produced. Natal had a “harder” climate and did not grow the same green succulent grasses.

Merino sheep were the popular breeds in Africa and thrived on a native “karoo” grass, something like a salt hush, that stood the dry climate well. Natal farmers, however, wore tackling the problem of greater production per acre and irrigation was being prosecuted with energy, the damming of rivers being carried out. to take water to places fifty and sixty miles away. Mr Allan was particularly interested in the top-dressing work being done in New Zealand as he said that considerable importance was now attached iu Natal to the question of pasture improvement. Investigations in this direction were in their infancy, however, and the use of fertilisers had so far not proved an unqualified success, due probably to the inconsistent rainfall.

Ho remarked that mining was still Africa’s greatest industry and the diamond resources appeared unlimited. Agriculture was only a secondary industry compared with it so far as exports were concerned, although wool,

wheat, fruit and cotton were sent out of the country in large quantities. ..The Canadian viewpoint was expressed by Mr D. W. Warner, of Western Canada. “It is a beautiful country, and I have seen in New Zealand many tilings that I will be able to take back to Canada with profit,” he said. ■

“Most of the people appear to be of the same class, the middle class. They tell me you have none in the millionaire class, nor any in the poverty class, and I feel that you have solved tho problem of equality in the distribution of wealth by the best of social conditions.”

“I have noticed, that you are i.ot only loyal to the Empire and to New Zealand, but that you are just as loyal to your own locality,” said Air Warner, who explained that each place visited claimed the premier New Zealanders, generally, seemed to be a happy people. It was owing to the energy and the perseverance of the pioneers from .England, Scotland and Ireland that the land had been cleared and brought to its present high state of production. New Zealand was more fortunate than most countries, having no colour problem, but a population that was virtually 99 per cent British, and could be called more English than the English.