Mannamatu Herald. FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7,1890. Farmers and Lawyers.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 7 February 1890, Page 2

Mannamatu Herald. FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7,1890. Farmers and Lawyers.

" God made the country and man the 3 town,." T^s lact appeals; to haVe been whdlty lost sight' of by Mr W. T. L. Travers when speaking: at a meeting in Wellington this week. We hare just celebrated the' Jubilee of the colony with much energy, during which most important faots concerning the progress of this lan 4 were produced, and without doubt it is evident that the exports of the colony wer« the foundation of the prosperity now enjoyed by all. Whe are the persons to be thanked for this position? the lawyers? Though our friends of the long robe are credited with taking everything, when they can get it, we were hardiv prepared to think that they would liaye. at tempted to! have grasped the credit for the success that has resulted in the development of the oo'oiiy, but if we are to accept Mr Travel?'* as an authority, thfl fanners of New Zealand' are of little aoconnt. He is reported to have said that he condemned the farmers pf this country for their laziness, and said they " gat upon a rail and watched their beasts grow fat ; smoked their pipes and swore at their cattle for not growing fat faster." Evidently a solicitor's opinion of farming is a little hazy, for when the time has arrived that the farmer can ' ' sit on a rail " and smoke his pipe he has generally well earned the position. ( Farming: is not ."all beer and skittles " and beasts are not obtained by picking tip, nox is bush land put down in grass and fenced without ' work. It would make town lawyers J lazy, so lazy that they would not 1 be able to smoke their pipes, if the farmers of Now Zealand wer& the characters Mr Travers says they are. The residents of the towns in : ! the colony are a striking instance to j the contrary, as the towns are maty \ and number thousands of iiihnbi- ■ tants, who are there, and have been » required there, owing to the work I these '' lazy " men have been doing-. ! " God made the country, and man the town" because it is necessary that there should be centres from | which the produce of the soi] eo\ilcl j be sent to be distributed amongst ] the nations of the earth Th.^ towns { hare only increased in size with the progress of the country, and it be- > comes a farce for the dw eller in a > town to speak harshly of the labours of the countryman. If atownsmap thinks he knows se much better than a countryman how to work, let him throw up his life in town and come to the country. Here his bread will be got by tho sweat of his brow, his arms will be tanned by honest labour, his earnings will be the reward of the Almighty, and better is it that it 1 abonld be so, thau to have to be depended upon the wants of man. A writer years ago gave it for hit opinion *f that whoever could make two ears of corn, or two blades of graai, to grow upon a spot of ground where only one grew before, would deserve better of mankind and do more essential service to his country, than tbe whole race of politicians put together," and it cannot ! be controverted Every politician no doubt believes his services to be of iaestimab'e value, especially those (who ptrhaps Mr Traver's had in his mind's eye when referring to the farmers) that at times of political excitement take up the position described as " sitting on a rail," and they at times succeed better in ther wishes than the fanners who " swore at their cattle for not growing fat faster." We regret that a gentleman of Mr Traver's standing should have allowed himself to cast such a slur on a cla e s who are the backbone of the country,, and we qannot help thinking that it is setting about the futheran.ce of the farmers interests in a comical way, to blaokguard them first. Fruit growing will not be encouraged; by these means, and if anyone is at fault at all for the industry not being such a prominent source of revenue, it is the townspeople, who have at present no faotory in which they can preserve the fruits already grown by the " lazy " fanners.