FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 January 1920, Page 12

FARM AND DAIRY.

THE NEW FARMER. (By W. Beach Thomas.) More than one revolution is in progress on British land, but very little has been heard of perhaps the greatest, the advance of the farmer to commercial power. Arguing directly from present progress, I believe that British farmers will very aoon be the most powerful class in the community, and to a large extent independent of the rest of the world. They will almost certainly own their own ships and be joined in the closest mutual alliance with farmers in other parts of the Empire, especially Africa.

They will come to do what Bussian' farmers have already done. So fast has co-operation developed in Eastern Russia during the last two years that the Siberian farmers have become owners of a number of the chief railways. Our farmers will hardly own main railways, though they may, indeed already do, own bits of light railways; but the Agricultural' Wholesale Society has already envisagfiH the likelihood of coming to own ships.

The zeal for self-organisation among British farmers during the last nine months is now accelerating at a wholly unprecedented rate. Of the 250,000 farmers a half will soon be good co-operators, controlling great and accumulating funds. They are themselves on the point of absorbing the trade in the by-products of their industry. We shall soon be buying the strings for our tennis rackets from farmers; and they will be supplying themselves with their own fertilisers.

Already they have made mutual agreements with the Rhodesiaa farmers, from whom they will receive maize and other feeding-stuffs, and to whom they will return seed. They are establishing a factory for making corn bags as far off as Bombay, "where the jute comes from." They are about to establish their own schools, for training managers for their co-operative societies. The amazing success this year of the Preston branch lias opened their eyes to the value of the skilful manager, and, what is more, persuaded farmers that his brains are worth good money. There is already a fine opening for capable young men on the managerial side of these farmers' societies which are being formed almost daily and increase marvellously in size. Those things are not dreams or vague ambitions. The definite steps are being taken; and if farmers know their own interests, producers in the Home Counties, which are the most backward, will follow the lead of the rest of England. Consumers will be sympathetic. If they can buy, as near as may be, direct from the farms, and the farmers can produce cheaply because they will cut out middleman's fees, food will go down in price. Otherwise, not.

• A big, essential social change is proceeding at a rate that astonishes even .the dreamers —Tu;iv Mai l