SMALL HOLDINGS

Hokitika Guardian, 16 August 1930, Page 7

SMALL HOLDINGS

CONDITIONS IN AUSTRALIA

A RUN-HOLDER’S IMPRESSIONS

That Australia at the present time is comparable with an over-capitalised business run by unionists, and unionism gone mad, is the impression gathered by Mr E. P. H. Bur bury, of Sherwood Downs, Waiau, who has just returned from ft tour of Australia with the New Zealand farmers’ party. The people who want to ivcrk are debarred from working, to he say>s, because they are compelled to accept the union wages, and the older people and the: unfit simply cannot get work.

, VERY POOR HOMES.

‘We were not very impressed with the homes of the smallef'farmers in Australia or with their methods of farming, with one or two exceptions,” said Mr Burbury to a representative of the Press on Saturday. “One or two districts are up to what is considered a good standard in New Zealand, but they are. very few and for between.

“In New Zealand there is a gradual stepping down from the squatter to the man who farms 25 or 30 acres. Australia on the other hand, has no such grading, The squatter is the big man with a very fine station, and the small farmer is on the bottom rung. The New Zealand small farmer has a comfortable steading, hut the Australian conditions oil small farms are appalling.

“We arc told that if a farmer wishes to secure female assistance in the house he has to pay from £3 to £4 a week in wages. Even then labour is very hard to get on account of the bad conditions. The homes are small and poorly furnished, with very little comfort. This was particularly noticed by the Now Zealanders.

A IST IMPROVEMENT DESIRED. "Our iimpression right through the tour was that Australia, desires to get more people back on the land and ro start some movement whereby they will be able to improve the conditions of the small farmer, and encourage him to make a better home. Heretofore the one idea of the small man has been to slave for some years and make just sufficient to enable him to retire to the city. “In one particular place which had a population of about 12,000 people 1 was told that about 25 per cent, of them were retired farmers. Most of the small farms are on the slmre-milk-ing basis, and are handed oil to the sons to do as their fathers did betore them. There is practically no horn© life whatever.

WOOL CLIP REDUCED. “I was particularly interested in the sheep, and on/ enquiry in Queensland found that they had suffered considerably through the long drought,” said Mr Burbuy. “Lambing had been bad owing to stomach trouble in the eaves. The wool was very short and, tender. Sheep men told me that the clip will be reduced to at least one "third. Shearing took place a month earlier than usual for they consider that it is better to get the poor wool off and. allow an opportunity for better to grow. “We in New Zealand do not quite understand that Australia can shear practically all the year round oil account of the open season. Jn New Zealand the shearing is confined to two or three months, hut in Australia there is little, if any danger from the severe cold. “We saw a great many dairies and butter factories. The people who arranged the itinerary for us were under the impression that New Zealand was confined almost entirely to dairying, and they were surprised to find that 80 per cent, of the party were general farmers, who milked only one or two and that the rest were sheep farmer's. In the future they propose to find out the composition of the party before it leaves New Zealand and arrange the itinerary accordingly. , “The vastness of Australia, and the fact that we were travelling hundreds of miles a,day, make it almost a presumption to try to compare the actual method of farming with New Zealand,” said Mr. Bur bury. “One could stay there months before becoming fully conversant with the conditions. The country we v r ent through was beautiful after the beneficial rainfall and Darling Downs were a Garden of Eden.