SIR STAFFORD NORTHCOTE OWN AGRICULTURAL, DEPRESSION.

Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1512, 14 March 1882, Page 4

SIR STAFFORD NORTHCOTE OWN AGRICUL TURA L, DEPRESSION.

1 ' . preserving as 'the. ruin' of agriculture. ShvStaffovd concluded by rcfeiiiug to the m<jn who at ono time said home niauufacture was of no consequence, but wlio now recognised the stir made by the home markets being in difficulties. That was ,i,t any rate a slop foiward, for it was something for them to acknowledge as much as that (cheers).

Spevkino at Fremington plouging match <<£Mii«rj' in December last, Bir Stafford, JXjftjt.li.cpte said that, after nil, tho plough w,-a§jft.tridie foundation of aU agriculture, audiujjuding to the favouiit; motto of ".tfgd.jpeed tho plough," expressed a l\flpa^;t)?'t the plough would flourish amongst them for a great number of generations to come. He showed, !>y lllu tr.ition, however, that a complete revolution bad taken place in the operations of agriculture. After some remarks on high fanning, he said they desired, of course— everyone desired —to sell their produce on the best; possible terms. There were many people who thought that that could be effected by the aid of Parliamentary interference. They believed that by some kind of legislationsome called it by one name and some by another, and some put boldly the true mine upon what was suggested to them, and called it protection. There were some who Ijelieved that by some Parliamentary system of protection they might so rai«e the prices of their produce as to make it more profitable to themselves to grow. He hoped nobody there would be rttu away with by that delusion (cheers). Depend upon it, if the attempt were made to ' put such a duty on corn as should raise the price of produce sufficiently to make a real, sensible difference to the British farmers it would be an attempt that would fail and would recoil upon themselves (cheers). But if it were not to be sufficient for that purpose, he doubted whether it would be of any great advantage to them. He did not say that there might be no changes made in the system of their duties on imports (hear, hear). He thought that was a matter which required careful consultation and much fuller inquiry than it had of late yeais received. He did not think they could be content to lie put down by very haughty ,uid high and mighty denunciations of folly on the part of anybody who questioned their piesent system. If it was as sound as it was represented to be, it would bear inquiry, and would be all the better for inquiry ; but do not look to that as the remedy which \\.it> to be applied for the prosperity of Biitiah agriculture. Well, now, what was. it that they ought to look to ? They ought to look as t;u as possible to reducing the cost of production. He meant, of course, including the cost of sending their goods to market. They had many things still in their own [ ower, and there were ma'iy eiicotirigements he believed still to the British farmer. He had, after all, the home markets and the gieat manufacturing communities close to him, and he oiu»hfc ti> be able to get to the markets easier and cheaper than any foreigner could possibly do. If there were any impediments in that way, as it was said by some there were with regaid to the railway tariffs and other things, these were matters to which they all ought to pay attention and see remedied ; but if they wanted to produce cheaply they must have good, honest, sound work done, and common .sense applied to it. They wanted the knowledge and the power to tin il to good account the loo.il circumstances of their country, and they wanted also freedom ot action (hear, bear). He said that in this way they had to compete with pioduceis from all parts of the world, and with new piocesses which might lie intiodiiced, and new .systems which they had to tun against. They inuat be pieparcd caiefully and judiciously, but at the same time boldly, to meet the competition by having lecourse to any now improvements that might suggest themscheb and which might be recommended. He did not desire to .see the farmer tied up by Mich restrictions as would prevent his employing both his capital and his intelligence in the Avay lie reasonably Vclieveil to be the bebt (applause). On the other hand, do not let them c.my that principle to far, because there wore a great many dangers if they «aye what was called unlimited fwedoin to the occupier of the soil. He might very probably through some incompetency or lieedlcssness, or sometimes by something approaching to recklessness, .spoil and injure the land, and might get for himself one or two year's good return, and then leave his landlord and land in a ruined or very much injured condition (heiir, bear). They must guard against that, and guaid against it tor the sike not only of the landloid, but of the tenant, and also for the country (cheers). The landlord and tenant in these matters were real partneis. If they could not buy the land, and if it was necessity to improve the land by advances of a large amount of capital, fiom whom was that capital to come ? He did not think they would say it ought to come from the money-lender. Itwasfai lutter it should come from the landlord, and he believed that landlords generally —lie would not say there wci c not exceptions — were bocoming well aware of that, and that there was a very great disposition to exercise a wise liberality in tho mattei of advancing capital. But they would check tli.it at once if they alarmed landlords with the belief that they would lose all the money they had invested, and would bo subject to what the lamlloids in Ireland weic being subjected to, "' viz., to have all their property diminished by one-half, or even a greater proportion, 01 to be told they were not to have .my property allowed them at all (hear, and laughter). Therefore they ■wo. ild injire both landlord and tenant in the alaini which they would cause in the mind of the landloid. who ought to be the capitalist. If they could point out any di a whacks, any difficulties, any embarrassments which prevented the landlord fiom making those advances as freely as possible, or if they could point out any other securities necessary to enable the tenant to be assured he would have a fair and full return for any investments on his capital in the laud, let them by all means have such secmitics or such measures, and let them consider them well. He had no doubt that we should have next session large proposals made, and they would be carefully considered, and he had no doubt that some good would come out of them ; but do not let the tenant farmers be run away with by those who, out of a sort of prejudice agaillBt landloids — hatred to liindloids — were disposed to throw all the blame upon them. There were men of a certain school who looked upon the landlords now in the same way as the good Protes-t-mts used to look upon the Jesuits ; if anything went wrong it was the Jesuits wlio caused it, and now if anything went wrong in the land it was the landlords doing (laughter). They were told the other day that the losses of the country were due to the great losses occasioned by the want of sunshine. There was a great deal of truth in that ; but they were told that the remedy for this misfortune was to do away with marriage settlements and the settlements of property (laughter). Those things, he saw, made them smile ; but he believed them to be really seriously entertained by gentlemen who had that sort of knowledge of agriculture. He remembered a man of tfiat school who was talking about the mischief done by the ground game, and he said be did not wish entirely to do away with ground game. He thought there ought to be a moderate numbar of hares left, say one hare to an acre (loud laughter), that was a gentleman who was denouncing the landlords aud game