MR COURTNEY ON AGRICULTURE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 3187, 26 November 1892, Page 6 (Supplement)

MR COURTNEY ON AGRICULTURE.

Mr Lkonard Couetxey, M.P , lately spoke at an agricultural society's dinner at Liskearu. The power of the Legislature to help the farmers, he said, was extremely limited. They certainly must not expect any imposition of a duty which would make the food of the people dearer than it was according to the natural supply of the market or impede even in a slight degree its free importation. It would be a singular commentary to the petition offered up day by day, " Give us our daily bread," were they to add "only not too cheap." (Laughter.) It was not to the interest of the farmer to go in for protection. No doubt the farmer was suffering very severely from the competition of foreign production, but he used tosulTer more severely in the days of the Corn Laws. Prices then were highor, but as prices went up rents followed, and as prices went down rents fell. (" Not very fast.") In the settlement of the rent question lay the remedy for the evils of the fanners. Some people said the tithe rent-charge was very hard and heavy. If the tithe rent-charge were abolished to-morrow the landowners in a short time would have the entire benefit. Some shifty and hard up landlords accepted rents which they knew the tenants could not pay bacausc the power of distress existed. He was entirely with those reformers who would take away the power of distress altogether and place the landowner in the position of other creditors. (Chews.) But the real question was, how were they to get rents reduced ?* Some people proposed a Land Court; but that was a most costly, dilatory, and un- • satisfactory way of settling the matter. Rents could only be reduced by independence on the p;»rt of the tanner, the determination on his part to bargain with his landlord upon equal trrais. (Oiieere.) Mr Courtney went to say that if farmer* could not produce corn they might pio- ; duee butter, milk, and chees}, and go in I forpoultiy farming and market gar lining, and so by changing the cultivation i cure many of the evils tiny were now ' going through. He was quite certain as to the hopelessness ami the impropriety of expecting that Parliament would do anything fundamentally to change their position as competing producers with »he producers in America and the colonies. (Hear, l:ear).