The Taihapa Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23. THAT TIRESOME "MORE PRODUCTION."

Taihape Daily Times, 23 April 1919, Page 4

The Taihapa Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23. THAT TIRESOME "MORE PRODUCTION."

(With wftich tfe incorporated The Tal> hape Pout tud W&lsasl-3<* News).

In a brief resume of this Dominion's war finance the Acting Minister for Finance has again emphasised the well-worn statement that very much more work must be done, and very much more money be earned to enable interest ana other charges, that are rapidly accumulating,, to be met. He pointed out that the estimated annual income of the country was £55.000.000 ! and that the war had already absorbed considerably above that amount. In addition to that there were pensions, cost of repatriation, gratuities and allowances of one sort and another, which will continue for many years to come. Mr. Myers tells the people that we have already made an alarming drain on our resources, and that it is incumbent upon the people to set to work to fill the gap, bearing in mind that any dislocation of industry or capital will defeat our object by the creation of another and perhaps larger drain in another direction. We have on many occasions discussed this reiterated wishy-washy twaddle about the need for more production, and wo have come to the conclusion that political barnacles arc so thick and widespread on the ship of progress that further movement is beyond the power of her sails. Why not commence upon, a comprehensive scheme of increased production? Politicians have been talking about it for the past two years; they have been proclaiming the need for more production and still more production from every vantage ground and upon every available occasion, but not only is there no effort to increase made, but there is a distinct decrease :n primary and secondary production, and with tbe recent decline in stock values there is some indication that our national income will fall very much below the £55,000,000 estimated. What is cur Government doing to increase the production of stock, of cereals, of coal, of timber, and what is it doing towards settling our returned and returning soldiers on the land? Briefly, and with all truth, the meat and wool industry is being reduced largely by a land policy under which the land aggregator flourishes. For miles along country roads in this district land that should be cut up into from 50 acres to 500 acres is in the possession of osw man; how can this man produce morer He could not effectually manage an area quarter the size; he holds the land that one hundred and fifty families should occupy. Wheat production has reached a stage when it might well be made the subject of a comic opera; everyone chuckles when the question is mentioned.. So it will remain while we have a government that goes on its knees begging Mr. Landowner to please grow enough wheat to feed the people. It whispers to him, we have made law s so that you may grab all the land that really belongs to the people, you must save the situation by growing at least enough wheat so j that the natural owners of the land may have bread. The farmer replies, we have the land now and we are going to do as we like, and for the

wheat we clo grow you must guar-

antee us a price more '» than double the average of the past tea years; you. must put a heavy duty on imported wheat, we are not going to grow wheat ; to give the people cheap bread. Another most heartless condition conies to light in the coal industry, which ! should provide the most convincing I evidence that coal seams should never have passed into private ownership. Next to food and the air we breathe coal is the greatest essential to human life and progress of civilisation, and yet some half-a-dozen coal firms have it in their power to decide and deter.mine whether coal shall be available for the people's nerds or not, and they do exercise that power till their names stink in the public nostrils. In Talhape, where several degrees of frost are almost nightly registered from April to October—seven months of the year—there is a coal famine, and families are silently suffering, but such conditions will not be permitted indefinitely _ What is the Government doing to secure more production and still more production? ' The timber industry is being harassed: production of timber is being checked by Government messing; absurd regulations are crippling the output of timber, and all because timber-dealers and timbermongers, the barnacles on the timber industry, are politically stronger than the timer producers. This country wants the timber now; poor people are houseless; they are packed into insanitary boxes like sardines in a tin, and they cannot well prevent becoming almost as greasy for want of means to cleanse themselves. Why does nbt the Government encourage production of timber now that is wanted so desperately to build cover for . people who. are crying out 'for houses? Is there a man amongst US who has no qualms of conscience about the repatriation of our soldiers? Do we not feel ashamed, when soldier | settlement is mentioned, at the ineptitude of our Government? Does not the revolting thought haunt us that the Government is neither sincere, earnest or honest in its maudling vapourings about soldier settlement? The need for increased production was - nationally realised two years ago, and we still hear the voice of Government yelling for more production, while they keep their political hands tight in their political pockets and stand in the way of a Government who would have put more production into practice. Jf our legislators under Mr. Massey wait, for a lesson in soldier j settlement we might point them to Queensland. There, 2000 soldiers have been satisfactorily settled, and provision is made for settling 10,000 iu the present year. None are throwing up their farms in disgust, and conditions are 'Such as to render failure almost impossible. For three years no rent is paid by the soldier, and thereafter to the fifteenth .'year he pays only IS per cent per annum on the Value of the land; £SOO is allowed on liberal terms and a further £7OO may be .obtained from the State Bank. No soldier is placed on a farm without training or supervision, and while soldiers are learning they are paid £2 per week. Queensland recognised the need for more production to enable the State to meet its liabilities arising I from the.war, and at the same time it was not blinded to the country's obligations to.the men who fought that the Empire might be free to produce and enjoy the fruits of that production. We realise that .Mr. Myers is only reiterating the old, Massey cry of "settlement and still more settlement" in honouring the party truce, but those who are guilty of continuing a policy of land aggregation and decreased production in face of high costs of living, houselessness of the people, fireless homes in bitter weathr, the hugeness of coming taxation, soldier settlement that i s characterised by insane blundering or disgusting desipience will be given short shrift when the will of the people is expressed, i This country wants more production first, talk about it may follow.