THE DRIFT TO THE TOWNS.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 May 1918, Page 2

THE DRIFT TO THE TOWNS.

ITS CAUSE AND CURE. DISCUSSION BY THE FARMERS' UNION. How to attract population to the country and prevent the tendency of r.ho youth of the country to drift to the towns lias been a problem that has been considered for some time past by many of those interested in the development of the country, and as the result of a rej mit tabled by the Executive a dismission ! took place on the subject at the Provincial Conference of the Taranaki Farmers' Union last Thursday. The President (Mr R. Dunn), in opening the discussion, thought that the influx of country people to the towns could be "typped by making the country mora jSractive for settlers. They could not s»ect people to be settled and contented where there were no roads, and they had to hump everything they required on their backs, j where there was no telephonic communication and no mail and where they could only use the roads for a few months in the year. A reason for the trend of i population to the town was that more [ conveniences and more comforts were to be found there and what appealed to many—more pleasures. He could not see how they were to take pleasures to the country, but they might arrange for more comforts. Another reason, lie thought, was the fact that in very many cases there was no accommodation for married men employed on farms, and he thought it would be a splendid idea if the Farmers' Union could bring about the condition that every farmer should have a cottage to which an employee could take wife and rear his family on the land, as children brought up in the country were more likely to be attracted by the country than they would be if brought up in town. Mr R. Lambie said that they must keep up the population in the country in order to keep up production, otherwise they would be faced with hard times. The people were not out in the country now, and production was going back. It TVR3 hard to induce people to go into the country. Their instincts naturally attracted them where there was company, and all worked towards the towns. Even when a farmer retired, he went to a town, and the townspeople were, of course, only pleased to welcome him. The matter should be discussed at the Dominion Conference, as it was getting serious. For the first time in its history la3t census showed the population of the towns to be greater than that of the country, which was deplorable in a young country where the whole wealth was produed from the land. The advent of the motor car and good roads had done much to improve conditions by enabling people to enjoy a good deal of the pleasuies of home life and yet live jat a distance. This would bo improved tvhen flying machines were in common use. Even if they gave better wages, the difficulty -would be to find a cure, but he thought they should diagnose the disease before providing a remedy. Mr Bentley said that they should start by encouraging youths now in the country to stay there, and if farmers instead of retiring to the towns would st.a.y in the country and look after their boys it would do a lot of good. They should not overwork them, but give them some pleasure, so that they would not grow up to consider farm life as all cows and mud. Too many people look upon farming as a speculation and made no comforts about their homes. They certainly got richer all the time and finally retired to the towns. He did not think the solution lay in attracting to the country city people, many of whom were useless.

Mr Buckeridge thought that Mr Bentley had hit on one of the greatest troubles. Did wo take sufficient trouble to find our pleasures in the country? There was any amount of pleasure to be obtained in the country that was much more profitable than the pleasures to be found in the towns. He considered that in this direction the motor cur offered great inducement for pleasure in the country that the town could not provide. Mr Davidson thought that the lack of educational facilities in the country which compelled them to send their children to the towns for higher education inculcated ir. them a liking for town life. Mr Owen said that the study of agriculture and horticulture in tiie schools would havo a tendency to make the children follow country life.Mr Astbury said that he had not yet seen a- home in the country that contained everything desired. It did not inattßf what facilities they gave country residents unless they saw that they got more comfort and more leisure. Owing to the high rents paid by leaseholders and the heavy mortgages to be met by freeholders they and their families have to graft from daylight to dark to pay the enhanced valuer and taxation and soon get full up.

On the motion of Mr Maxwell it was resolved to ask the Dominion Executive to set up ah essay competition as to how to prevent the influx of population to the towns.