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WHY FARMERS ARE POOR.
At Dr Finlay’s meeting at Stanley
Mr Button gave dear land and dear
money as the causes of the farmers*
troubles. These are two of the causes,
but they are not by any means the
only two. There are others. The
proof of which is that if Mr Button
were given for nothing a hundred acres
of land equal to the best of Forest,
and money at three per cent to clear it,
he would be little better off by the time
he got it under the plough than he is
now. His land would be worth say
£25 an acre, but he would owe at least
£20 an acre to the man who lent the
money. That is proof positive that
there are other drawbacks to farming
in Tasmania beside dear land and dear
money. The cost of clearing land is
dear also. Mr Button would find that
his food and clothes, machinery, labor
and freight were all dear. Farmers
years ago would have thought their
fortunes made if they could have averaged
the prices for produce that we
do now. Their workmen would have
thought their fortunes made of they
could have had the wages workmen
get now. Yet both farmers and
workmen were better off then, when
they had to look out for themselves,
than they are now with hundreds of
politicians, judges. lawyers, inspectors
and experts of all sorts working overtime
to help them.
The help that the politicians have
given is the cause of all the trouble.
It has made land dear, and money dear
and everything else dear also. Even
our spuds, which do not pay us to
grow, are dear to the people who have
to buy them. Our politicians are animated
by the best of intentions: but
they have an undue opinion of their
powers. They think that they
know more than God, and can improve
on the principles on which. He runs
the world. They notice an industry
in trouble. The product costs £6,
and the market price is only £5. They
pass a law to make the price £7.
Nothing easier. The manufacturers
are delighted, and the politicians have
that blissful feeling that only comes
from doing good, combined with that
increase of self-esteem that comes
from feeling that one feally can “grasp
this sorry scheme of things entire, and
. mould it nearer to the heart’s
desire.” But soon the manufacturers
in six other industries, who use the
product that has been “protected",
complain that the extra £2 adds to
their cost of production so much that
their businesses have become unprofitable;
What do the politicians, do
then? Do they go to the penitent
form and say “All we like sheep have
gone astray.” Not on your life,
They do not repeal the first law.
They pass six more, one for each of
the industries that is in trouble. And
immediately there are thirty-six new
industries in trouble. Thus the old
fable of the hydra, the monster that
grew a new head for every one that
was cut off, has been outdone in our
time; for our monster grows six new
heads for every one that is cut off.
But are our politicians downhearted?
No, unfortunately they are not; they
leave that to us. The more industries
they bring into difficulties the
harder they work to “protect” the
sufferers. But some industries do
not sell their product in Australia; they
have to export it. Australian politicians
cannot increase their return,
but can, and do, increase thein expenses.
These are almost all prim-
ary industries. Moreover farmers
ultimately have to pay the salaries of
all the inspectors and whatnot whose
business it is to see that the laws are
obeyed. That is why farming does
not pay. That is why farmers are
poor. They are poor in America al-
so,” and for just the same reason.
What would happen if the Govern-
ment were to provide the cheap money
that Mr Button asks for? Let us
suppose that the Government borrows
money at five per cent and lends it to
farmers at three; or rather, that it
borrows at five and lends at five, losing
two per cent on administration
and bad debts; who makes up the
two per cent that is lost? Ultimately
the farmer himself must make it up
by extra taxation. And if the Government
gives a man two pounds and
then raises it from him in taxes it has
to add the cost of paying out the two
pounds in the first place and of collecting
the tax in the second. Consequently
whenever a man receives a
gift of £2 from the Government he
gun expect to pay £3 in taxes for it.
Nowhere in the world are politicians
more anxious to do good than in Australia.
They are pot rapacious
rogues and bloodsuckers, though,
when he feels the result, the farmer
can be forgiven for thinking that they
are. As a matter of fact they are as
anxious to do good as a mothers’
meeting; and just as anxious to help
the farmer as they are to help, everybody
else, though of course the farmers
have not the easy access to them
that manufacturers have. It is not
the will to help farmers that is locking,
but the power. The consequence is
that, in spite of all the goodwill, the
government of Australia is not a blessing,
but a curse. Men on the land
would be better off, production would
be greater, and more land would be
cleared, if there were no government
in Australia at all. Is it any wonder
that people will not vote for such men,
and that consequently we have voting
made compulsory, the silliest law ever
passed by any legislature in the world.
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