TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19888, 18 May 1936, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

British Agricultural Policy “ Towards the end of last year there were indications that consideration of agricultural policy was taking a new turn. It is known that investigation has been going on of the effect of the consumer’s purchasing power on his dietary. To what extent, in other words, are people on the lower scales of income able to satisfy their bodily needs for fresh and nourishing foods such as modern science tells us are neeggsary for physical health, and which only the home farmer can supply—milk and milk products in particular, eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables, home-killed meat and poultry? No evidence is available at present, but it was reported that the deficiencies in the dietaries of a grea-t section of the community are serious, and constitute a menace to the public health. Should this be substantiated, it might result in some reorientation of the attitude of the State towards the provision of agricultural assistance, and the policy of tariffs, levies or quotas might be modified, anyhow for certain commodities, in favour of subsidies to consumers, on the principle of the Milk in Schools scheme. We may know more about this before another year has passed.—Mr C. S. Orwin, Director of the Agricultural Economics Research Institute, Oxford. Business in Canada The seasonal factor is such a large element in business activity that it is difficult to give a clear picture of the general trend at this time of year, writer a correspondent from Montreal. On the whole, however, it is clear that in spite of an exceptionally cold winter, the volume of business in Canada is better than that at the correspondj ing time last, year and substantially above that of the two previous years. That most inclusive index, the physical volume of business, was 104.7 in January, 1936, as compared with 97.5 for January, 1J)35, and S(i.S and 65.1 in the corresponding months of the two previous years. With improved volume of business there has been a corresponding expansion in . employment. Employment statistics arc analysed by the Dominion Bureau of j Statistics in eight main groups and sixty-one sub-groups. 'On FebI ruary 1. 1936, there was a greater volume of employment in live of the eight major classifications and in fifty-six of the sixty-one minor ! classes. It is in manufacturing that there is the best indication of the expansion which is taking place in employment. In every subclass in this group employment is at a higher level than at the corresponding date last year. The improvement was particlarly pronounced in the iron and steel groups and in this industry the index ns of February J, 1936, was higher than the highest level attained in 1935.