RELIEF WANTED

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20738, 23 February 1939, Page 10

RELIEF WANTED

FARMERS’ PROBLEMS

GOVERNMENT INACTION INTERNAL COSTS BURDEN (By Telegraph.—Press Association) WAN GANUI, Wednesday A farmers' rally, at which the whole o;' the North Island with the exception of Poverty Bay and Hawke's iay. was represented, was held at viakirikiri. near Wanganui, last night, t was addressed by the Dominion or*:sident of the New Zealand Farmers Union, Mr W. W. Mulholland, of Canterbury, and adopted resolutions urging that the farming industry be relieved from the rising burden of

costs, and that, the hill country of the Dominion be classified to enable the standard of production of New Zealand to be maintained at the high level of past years. The first resolution was: (a) That as a short-term policy to give immediate relief land taxation, including hospital and country rating, be abolished; (b) that as a long-term policy internal costs be based on farming income. Industry Neglected The second resolution was that the Government be requested to undertake a comprehensive survey of the broken hill country in the Clifton, Ohara, Whangamomona, Stratford, Eltham, Patea, Waitotara, Waimarino, Wanganui and Kaitieke counties, and classify it according to its quality into land that can be permanently held in production, marginal land that can be held with some measure of assistance, and areas that have gone or will eventually go out of production; that with respect to class three a policy of gradual abandonment of the areas should be adopted, and the land either planted with exotic trees or allowed to revert to native forest.

“The present Government came into office pledged to a policy of making the position of the farmer sound,” said Mr Mulholland, “but the Farmers’ Union claims that the Government has failed to carry out that policy. It has not only failed, but we claim it is being untrue to its own policy, and is neglecting the farming industry, shall 1 say deliberately? I almost feel that word is justified/]