VALUE OF STATE FARMS.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 May 1918, Page 8

VALUE OF STATE FARMS.

.VIEWS OF HON. W. D, S. , MAODONALD. Masterton, May 23. The Minister of Agriculture (Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald) visited the Wellington Fanners' Union conference to-day. He was welcomed by the president, who expressed a hope that the Government woold see that every man had a suitable occupation: The farmers wished tomaintain production, but were finding difficulty in getting the necessary men. Mr. Mac Donald said that the fighting men were a great factor to-day, but they could not do their part unless producers did theirs, and producers could not do their part unless the Government was fair and just to them. We were never in a more critical position than we were in to-day. We were right up against it with our backs to the wall. There were, no doubt, many men at the conference who had been hard hit by the war, but no resolution could have been more helpful to the Government than that passed by conference to give the Government every assistance to maintain reinforcements. If all sections of the community realised their duties as well, we would be nearer a successful conclusion of the war to-day. It would be unwise to criticise those who did not see eye Jo eye with us, but the fact that there were such differences was difficult to understand. There had been some difficulty in arriving at what was a fair thing to do for those who were fighting our battles, but he thought that justice would be done. Unfortunately, after three yeare and ten months, we could not' see the end of the war, and the men who were" going to the war were not going to fight for the Government, but for themselves, for their families, for the State, and for the great human race. If Germany won, she would never be satisfied until she tad overrun the world. What had the Germans done in those countries where they had left their trail? We would fare no better if they got here. During the war, since the formation of the National Ministry, one had to undertake many duties, last year he held no fewer than fourteen portfolios. The most important of them had been agriculture. There had been 500 people on the Agricultural Department's staff, but many had gone to the war, some of I them scientific men- Scientists were | once underrated by farmers, but he | thought their value was now recognised. ! There were many different opinons as to | duties in the Agricultural Department. He declared that with the staff at its I command our Department was second to none in the outlying parts of the Empire. Some people questioned the value of the State farms, and others said it was unnecessary to have Stsute farms at all. Every day he received many letters acknowledging questions, so either the farms were of value or there were a great many fools in the world. At Ruakura Farm 10,000 farmers were shown over the place every year. There were breeders who knew albout as much regarding pure stock as soma of the | Department experts, but would any of ! these men show 10,000 fanners over their | establishments every year? The quesj tion was raised, "Why don't these State I farms pay?" When grass was experi--1 mented with it had to be weighed, test--1 ed, and so on. How could that pay? It did not pay the State Farm, but it paid New Zealand. Then there were tests made witli stock. When a class of cattle was found to be no gooc', the State Farm advised the people not to have anything to do with it. The private farmers, on the other hand, might tell a prospective buyer that it was the best he ever had. (Laughter and applause.) When one examined the Department, with its ramifications, one would geit an idea of the great importance of it- He was certain that agriculture was only in its infancy in New Zetland. Cold storage was one of the greatest lactors in dealing with the cost of living, and much of the. commercial future of this oountry was bound up with hydro-electricity.