THE LAST MAN ON THE FARM.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 October 1917, Page 2

THE LAST MAN ON THE FARM.

DO WE REALISE THE POSITION?; The question of retaining the last mat) on the farm was touched on yesterday at the sitting of the Military Service Board whan an appeal was being dealt with. Appellant had four brothers, only one of whom was,at'the front. The appellant was milking 35 cows on his father's farm, whilst, just opposite, a' married brother milked 23 cows. Mr. McLaren, after enumerating several instances of patriotic families, remarked that it was a matter that the Government should seriously take in hand. While some people were sacrificing their all, others were grudgingly giving the very least. There was a lot of loose talk about leaving the last' on the farm, but to do so without hearing detailed evidence in each case was calculated to do a lot of injury. ' Mr. A. >H. Johnstone said there had been constant articles in thp papers on the question during the last fortnight and pronouncements had been made by the Minister of Defence. No doubt the pronouncements that had been made had the effect of inducing a number if farmers to appeal for the last man on the farm, and they were to some extent justified, because when it was impossible to make other arrangements, the appeal was put in on ground that a pronouncement had been made that farms must be carried on and production maintained. The chairman said some farmers created the situation, and instanced a case at Palmerston North, where a farmer had split up his farm into three in order to keep a single sofi, and there was also a glaring case heard during the previous day when, he alleged, perjury was committed over a lease. Mr. Johnstone submitted that there was no Want of bona fides in the present case, as there was proof that there was a real and sufficient difficulty if the farm was to 'be carried on. Mr. Williams said it appeared as though the farm could be carried on if the people would put their best foot forward, though possibly there might be some little inconvenience. Captain Walker thought the amalgamation of the herds would overcome the difficulty. Mr. McLaren said that young people could not milk 20 or "23 cows, whilst a woman of <55 years gave evidence that she milked 25 cows, and was cheerful about it.' Mr. Williams also instanced a case where, for a week, a young lady, bred in the town, milked 70 by machines owing to her husband's arm being poisoned, whilst in the present case it wa& stated that three people could not milk 58. Mr. Johnstone pointed out that the farms were poor and had not been long felled. Mr. Williams: The difficulty for us is to arrive at whether the evidence tendered is true or untrue. The board did not want to ruin the country. Mr. Johnstone: The ability of people to milk is different. Captain Walker: The spirit is different also. Mr. McLaren said that after three years of war a large proportion of the civilian population failed to realise that this wa9 not a war against the soldiers of Germany, but against the whole of the civilian population of Germany. Mr. Johnstone was quite prepared to concede that, the reason probably being that the bulk of our people were rather more prosperous than usual.