BRITISH AGRICULTURE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 349, 1 April 1911, Page 3

BRITISH AGRICULTURE.

While good work is being done in England to improve the condition of the" farmer, especially in the marketing of his produce, the rural regeneration of England is being to a certain extent checked by a school of writers and leaders who can only see improvement through higher prices obtained, ostensibly, by means of a tariff barrier. Their arguments are very plausible, but thev overlook the fact that theE'nglish farmer has right at his door the best market in the world, and in other ways has avantages which the farmers of no other country enjoy, especially when he makes use of_ the co-operative principle. Here is a specimen of the reasoning of the school in question : "A great many schemes are on foot at present for the re-colonisation of England. Small holdings,credit banks, co-operative systems, and others are offered as remedies for this great national utility, but they cannot be regarded as serious methods of getting at the root of the problem, You may subdivide our English land to any extent, but the same cause of depression will persist, and would be even accentuated, under an extended system of small culture. The most idea! system of land distribution will be of no avail unless wo give the farmer something he can cultivate at a profit. The one and first thing needful is to restore the economic value of English land, and that can never be done until a permanent and sufficient market, as wellas an adequate price, is secured for its produce. 1 know of no more infatuated idea in our not too intelligent English politics than that these superficial projects are by themselves going to restore prosperity to our English shires and to re-populate- our deserted villages." There is every reason to believe that did English farmers copy even the cooperative methods of Ireland and adopt the mo3t approved methods of culture they would have little eau:;o to complain of low prices. it is education rather than an exclusive tariff that is required.