10 



26 Au 9 **i, 1919.] 



.:.\ll>M"N ON AGR1CULTI 

 MB. ALBERT BOCKI .-. 



[Continued. 



6969. So that in considering theso estimates, we 

 re to take into account what thi- . UK i of producing 

 ttuo i rups i upon tlii- oilier operations of tho farm, 

 and take thu farm as a unit: Yes. 



O'JUO. Hut vou aro not prepared to gm- us any esti- 

 mate an to what the result is, taking all the op. nit on., 

 into account, so that < may judge <>f tlif whole . ; 

 tho o|'ratioi:. - I think that is quite ini|x>- 

 o much depends on seasons. If you get a wot wmt. r 

 after the first crop, there is probulj very littlo residue 

 loft. If you get a fine season, there is pretty good 

 residue le'ft for the succeeding crop- 



52il. Could you give us any estimate then of the 

 whole of the operations, in the same way as you inti 

 niato for these particular crops. I moan, including 

 the other operations on the farm so as to eliminate 

 that particular difficulty you have, just ra<-.<l lv 

 vou mean you wish me' to say how much residue i, 

 U-ft from one crop to nnoth 



0362. No. What I want to .say is this. You guo 

 us estimates of producing particular crops on farms. 

 These are simply part of the operations on your 

 farms; and I want to know what the financial result 

 of farming in your district is, including tho whole of 

 the operations and not selecting particular crops in 

 this way? That is a question I can hardly answer. I 

 think. 



5263. If I may put it in this way, from your reply 

 to certain Commissioners, particularly to Mr. Cautlov. 

 it would appear as if you take these costs as being 

 the Tory minimum costs, and would be inclined to in- 

 crease them in some respects. My impression from 

 the statements you give as to the cost of production 

 and tho yield you hare is, that you must be farming 

 at a loss in Cleveland? I do not think BO. I think 

 that the majority of these crops work out at a profit 

 of something like 30s. per acre. 



5264. Mr. Cautley: At present controlled prices ? 



r 



5985. Mr. Duncan: Is that 30s. per acre to cover 

 the whole of your cost of management, return on 

 capital, and everything? Yea. 



6266. That is the profit the farmers of Cleveland 

 are working at at the present time? I should not 

 think they would make that this time. I do not 

 think they will make any at all this year. 



5267. Then in paragraph 2 of your prf,ci, you speak 

 about the shortage of labour. I think I rather 

 gathered from what you said, that the wages being 

 paid in your district are actually above the minimum 

 rates fixed? Tea. 



6268. That would indicate that the shortage of 

 labour is existing in spite of the high wages you are 

 paying? That is so. 



6269. Do you anticipate that the labour supply 

 will increase at the present wages, or that wages will 

 have to go still higher? I am afraid in our district 

 they drift into the towns and into the mines; that is 

 the difficulty. The mines are all over Cleveland; 

 nnd they drift into the towns which seem to have 

 great attractions for them, and prefer the towns to 

 the couir 



6270. Do you think that the guarantee of 70s. a 

 quarter would enable you to retain the labour? We 

 hare a little more than we had ; hut I have no very 

 great hope* that there will be a great supply not in 

 the immediate future. It may have that effect ulti- 

 mately. Much will depend on the wages they get 

 in the industrial centres. 



1 . Then doc* that mean that the maintenance 

 .Itivation depends much more on your labour 

 nupply than on any guaranteed price? You cannot 

 cultivate without labour, yes. 



.VJ7-.! V '<: 1 understood you to say that 



vi.ii are in favour of decontrol of milk? Yes. 



inning that the COM rnniont should 

 in and give the farim nteo for hi* corn, 



what would you say it I mild atp 



in and tell the farmer that, in view <,f tin- fa- 

 iimoirt is going to giiaraiitoo tin- pi 

 wheat, he mimt grow a certain f|iinntitv of 

 That M adopt! g '' 1-m. |r > was 



t. ne in thf w.i ; -i. ,i u < 



;itlil teaMjiVK. and mile V..H li.i\< the labour 

 and " 



6374. But my point is hia. You seem to disfavour 

 the control of the milk trade, and yet you oik for a 

 guaranteed price? I do not ask for a guaranteed 

 price of milk. 



6276. .No, Imt for corn. It would be natural for the 



farmers, in view of the guarantor! 

 t<> put in a certain proportion of wheat < 

 other corn which is guaranteed. That is my \ 

 That i- .1 \.-iy dittictilt matter. There an- di 

 which are suitable for wheat growing, and there are 

 other districts which are. not at all MI ,<:il>lo for wheat 

 growing. \V.< found that out during the I 

 a mistake to allot any jiortion of any farm to wheat 

 growing, and assume it is suitable or not suitable. 



5270. Hurt assuming you have suit-.ihlo land, would 

 you view with favour Government control, ami their 

 saying, " In view of tho fact that the Govcrnnmit 

 is going to guarantee you a price, you must cultivate 

 such an area of wheat, or any other crop which u 

 guaranteed "? We certainly should not like 

 Wo have had too much of that sort of thing during 

 the war. I do not think it is in tho interest of the 

 country. 



6277. You say that the ret of your land is 30s. to 

 35s. on acre? Yes. 



6278. Assuming that the Government should adopt 

 your suggestion of a guaranteed price of 70s. a quarter 

 on the wheat, what effect would that have on the rent 

 of the land? I do not think, under present condition*. 

 it would have, any effect at all. I think that is only 

 just a barely paying price. 



lT'.*. Would not it have a tendency to steady the 



.. 



rent!' In view of the fact that tho farmer would 

 know he would have a steady price, would not it 

 naturally follow that the rent would be steadied in 

 the same way:' By "steadied," you do not mean 

 inn ease. I. do you!' 



.VJMI. No, my question is, what effect it would 

 have, if any? I do not think it would have any real 

 effect. It might steady the value of land a little. 



5231. You say in your prtcis that dairy farming 

 is the most arduous" of nil branches of farming !'- 

 That is so, undoubtedly. 



.'. And you also said that many farmers are 

 giving up selling milk? Yes. 



8. You also said that farmers are giving up 

 butter making and going in for milk-selling? That 

 is because the milk price pays better than the butter 

 price. That is why they are doing that. 



5284. Therefore, possibly you produce the same 

 quantity of milk in your district as you did pre- 

 viously? There is possibly as much going into the 

 towns; but it is going out of the Dale- to a great 

 extent. It is instead of their making butter and 

 cheese; and I think that has a very injurious effect 

 on stock rearing, because tho calves aro not being 

 retained. 



5285. I find from your figures that you grow about 

 four quartern of wheat to the acre, and the same 

 amount of oats. You said that your land is suitable 

 for wheat and Oftta, and yet you have only four 

 quarters of oats:' Yes, after clo\ 



5280. Do you think that is a satisfactory return in 

 oata?- 1 cannot say il is perfectly so; but I think it 

 is much above the average this year. 



'. Could you venture an opinion us to the 



capital of the farms- Have farmers in the pasl 



comm.iiid of -uflicient. capital to carry on their farms 



to the I. CM advaiitiiL'e!- Speaking pre-uar. I should 



..-sihly there might be some who had not enough 



capital. 



V , :. | .are that areas of land art' being 

 sold at the present moment in various parts of the 

 count ; 



What is the case in your A great 



ulity of land has been sold in our district, too. 



>| |,ro|Hirtion of that land been sold to 



the tenant farmer 



II. In view of the fact that you say son: 

 them were under capitalised in prewar tiim--. what 

 effect do NOM think the fact that ih. v ha\e to find 

 their capital to buy the land and the capital to liandle 

 their farms will have on their farmin- in the future? 

 The man who is buying his farm now. is not the 

 man short of capital before the war. 



