A tale about the Levin State Farm.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXI, Issue 3901, 23 May 1899, Page 4

A tale about the Levin State Farm.

TOLD BY A MEMBER OP THE HOUSE. A few weeks ago virtuous indignation was raised in certain official quarters at a report circulated by the Wellington correspondent of oertain journals, both North and South, of the conditions existing at the Levin State Farm at the time of the visit by the Victorian Commissioners—Messrs Trenwith and Best. The report was contradioted. It was repeated and publioly oonfirmed by Mr John Hutcheson, and embellished by some descriptive details. Mr Hutoheson introduced the subject in reference to the problem of the unemployed. A safe panaoea had been prescribed for the oure of the unemployed question, hs said, but with varying suocess. He referred to State Farms. They might Help the matter, bnt they would not solve the question, and if the State farm which he had the pleasure of looking at some few weeks ago was any criterion of what was going to be done in the way of State farming, they would do nothing at all (laughter). He had never felt so humiliated, or so sorely hurt as when he went over the Levin State Farm with the Victorian visitors and saw the miserable, desolate place, exhibited as the result of an experiment in scientific State farming. His oonceptioq of the position was this : —When the State farm was established he believed that every soientifio means was to be adopted to show what scientific agriculture, in conjunction with modern machinery and employment, could do in the way of getting the greatest result out of the smallest possible area of land (applause). That was the conception he had formed, bnt what he found was Desolation ! Desolation ! It was perfectly depressing. He went there with a kindly feeling towards the farm, and the desire to see in it the germs of the solution of the labour problem,but he was disappointed. There were a few old people—perhaps 20 altogether—about the place, bnt there was not the evidenoe of even a Yankee Planet Junior implement (laughter). They were scraping the surface of the soil only, and scraping it with a burnt stiek (laughter). He was not blaming the head of the Department, becauee he had almost a hobby for the farm. The fact was it was starred. There were 59 acres in tillage, which they dignified by the name of an orchard, but over the whole area sorrel was growing so thickly that they could not find soil with the point of your finger. Aud yet he was told that the soil in parts was two or three feet deep. The apple trees were put in without any method at all, and they had had the blight there, and bad cut the trees down to stamps and a bit of twig (laughter). As for the creamery they had a little bit of a toy—a kind of “Spinning Jenny” (laughter). The Instructor was called, and he described it for the benefit of the visitors but so much did he know about it that ail he (the speaker) could get out of him was “ You put the milk in there and the whey squirts out over there.” (Loud laughter). The manager, he was told, was energetic ; but that was only hearsay. He was telling them what he saw. The manager was reputed a regular “ grafter,” but what he (the speaker) wanted to know was did anyone else “ graft.” He asked who the Manager was, and the reply given was that he was formerly a bootmaker from Wanganui, and that he knew John Ballance very well (renewed laughter). Judging by the results of his management there was nothing at all to be“biggoty ” over about the Levin Slate Farm, and he was thoroughly humbled over our experiment. The remedy which Mr Hutoheson suggested was a Minister in charge of the Department who could nurse the subjeot thoroughly, and give the Department better encouragement for experimenting with the system. At the conclusion of Mr Hutcheson’s criticism someone among the audience audibly remarked, “ You won t warm yourself in them seats in Parliament after this.” “ You wait till you are asked,” retorted Mr Hutoheson, “ because I have got more to say on that subject yet. He added that he “ never caudidated ” when he went into politics, to make his living at it, and they would not find many fellows in this country who worried less about getting into Parliament than he did.