Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, OCT. 23, 1897. The Levin State Farm.

Manawatu Herald, 23 October 1897, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, OCT. 23, 1897. The Levin State Farm.

We hope some inquiring member will move fur a balance sheet of the L?vin State Farm, as though there are two paragraphs in the report of the Department of Libour upon the farm no information of any value is <?iven. We notice that Mr J. Mackay says that there has been adverse criticisms about the farm, but chiefly from people who do not understand anything about it, and that practical buah farmers have expressed unqualified approval of what has been done. This is all very well to write, but the actual test can only be obtained from the figures, and as yet every balance of this farm published by the Department has shown the farm to have been worked at a serious loss. Taking the information given us in the Report, little as it is, we are of the opinion that the farm has lost money, and is not worked advisedly. Mr Mackay says if the farm is sold it will fetch £12 an acre, and " this price will repay all the outlay." Tbip is very likely, but as the land was purchased at £4 an acre there has evidently b^pn an outlay of £8 an acre and what are the returns for it ? Ail the Report, tells us is that 17.---384 gallons of milk have been pold at 2£d per gallon, 7,810!bs of pork sold at B£d per lb, and 120 head of cattle sold at £4 Is 8d per head. There were also po*t*, firewood, &c, gold for £88. Taking the?e items out, less the cat 1 ■ which had to be purchased, and thus there would only be the margin between buying and selling, and for which we have allowed ten shillings per head, we get the magnificent revenue of £427. Of course there is -om-tbing wrong here and that is why we should like to see the balance sheet. We are also told time there were 21 men with 88 de pendants on the farm, yet only 50 cows were milked I If nothing better than this can be got out of the labour employed and with the cost of supervision needed, the sooner the farm is sold the better for the tax payer. We do not say that there may not be other revenue, but we are not told about it in the Report, and we should be glad if a better view of this large expenditure could be obtained.