Citizens Say—

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 652, 2 May 1929, Page 8

Citizens Say —

(To the Editor.)

HUMOUR ON THE AIR Sir, — Although I do not wish to depreciate the fine election results service given by IYA, last night, I wonder if the officials realise the humorous situation they created immediately after Mr. Baildon’s broadcast address when they put Chopin’s “Funeral March” on the air as the very next item. For unconscious humour, surely this takes the prize. SOUTHERN CROSS PRODUCER AND PARASITE Sir,— Some unknown friend sent me a copy of your issue of April 20, containing a most entertaining article headed as above. Unfortunately, it only reached me by last night’s mail or I should have replied to it sooner. Your contributor, who signs himself “F. 5.,” says: “One hears it proclaimed loudly at meetings of the Country Party, the Farmers’ Union and wherever a couple of rustics meet . . . that the farmer is the only producer of wealth and all the rest of us are parasites.” This statement of “P.S.” is quite incorrect. I don’t for one moment say that such words have not been used, but “P.S.” says things about the farmer that are equally silly and offensive and it would be absurd for me to say that he expresses the opinion of all town-dwellers. What the leaders of the C.P. and F.U. say is that most of the “protected industries” are parasitic; that is, they live on some other body and could not exist without such other body to feed them. There are “parasites” among the farmers as well as among the manufacturers, and we are just as much opposed to one as the other. We say that an industry that cannot exist without State assistance, after having been given a reasonable start in life, is no good to the Dominion. Of course, the question arises as to what is a reasonable start, and we are quite content that a subsidy should be given to suitable new industries for, say, five years. We have some of these industries that have had State assistance for over 50 years and are still asking for more. “P.S.” writes: “The single-handed farmer is merely a labourer with a roof over his head.” Quite so! and we think he should get a labourer’s wage and sufficient in addition for interest on what “the roof” has cost him before he is asked to subsidise other industries. I quote “P.S.” “Countries grow rich by manufacturing and by money-lending. . . . There is never any shortage of borrowers willing to become

the servants of lenders, and most of them are farmers.” Again quite so; and for this very reason the Government of a country should see that the masters have no special advantages over the “servant.”

“P.S.” continues: “Any suggestion that British manufacturers, bankers, shipping firms, etc., are parasites on the back of the British farmer would be treated as a joke.” I quite agree that it would be a joke because neither side is penalised by legislation. The same remark made in New Zealand would be very far from being a joke; in fact, it would miss the humorous mark by not less than 25 per cent. “P.S.” writes: “The United States has shed all its free trade illusions.” This is indeed news to me. I have always understood that the laws of the U.S.A. make it compulsory for 120,000,000 people to remove all barriers to trade between the various States. If our own Dominions and colonies would adopt the same "illusions” I would be well content “P.S.” suggests that there are too many farmers in New Zealand and that the sooner we get down to bedrock the better for all concerned. X don’t think this suggestion would be popular. As New Zealand consumes only one-third of what the farmer produces it would be necessary to do away with two-thirds of the farming population. This would raise difficulties with regard to the domestic market for locally-manufactured goods and also with regard to payment of the interest on the National Debt. Does “P.S.” suggest that we pay our interest to Great Britain by sending shipments of boots and ready-made clothes in lieu of mutton and wool? It is certainly wonderful what you can do by mass production. Finally “P.S.” writes: “The unreasoning hostility of the farmer and the farmer’s politician, who declares loudly that protection is robbery, is still the chief obstacle” to New Zealand's success as a manufacturing country. The “unreasoning hostility” will only cease when we are relieved from the necessity of paying 33 1-3 per cent, more for commodities and services than they are worth in the world’s markets, until the Governments. of the Dominion cease propping up uneconomic industries at the expense of the exporter. FRANK COLBECK. Morrinsville, April 28, 1929. NOTICE TO CORRESPONDENT Z.M.W.—Passion fruit pulp keeps fresh for a considerable period if kept in tightly-closed screw-top jars. A safer way, however, is to take three-quarters of a cup of sugar to one oup of passion fruit pulp, and boil for 20 minutes before bottling'.