AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS. 45 



farmer could not afford to pay increased wages, but there 

 were no data on which to base their arguments. He thought 

 that if farmers could be persuaded or compelled to keep 

 accounts of receipts and payments as a first step then 

 accounts in further detail could be introduced later more 

 easily. The farming industry would certainly benefit 

 thereby. 



On the other hand Mr. W. S. Miller as a farmer was not 

 clear that a case had been made out. He thought it might 

 be interesting to know what a field produces and what an 

 animal brings, but to keep the accounts required would mean 

 one man's whole- time employment. There was no firm 

 foundation on which to build a system of accounts and it 

 only wanted a turn in the market to cause the whole basis 

 to be upset. In 1872 he took a farm when wool was selling 

 at 2s. a Ib. and sheep at 6os. each. In the spring of 1873 

 they were worth less than half that figure and since then he 

 had sold wool for 3|^. a pound. Did they think farmers 

 could not see their own way ? He would back the smallest 

 farmer against any accountant. The farmer knew what 

 paid him and what did not. The whole conditions of 

 Agriculture were so unstable that costing was mere guess- 

 work. In any case they could draw no conclusions from one 

 year's accounts but must have them for a series of at least 

 ten years before they could be of any use. 



Mr. Rea, however, also speaking from the farmer's point 

 of view, said he felt very strongly the truth of Mr. Howell's 

 contentions. A farmer might shortly be required to pay 

 taxes on double his rental and he did not think he could 

 possibly do that without being out of pocket. The small 

 farmers in his district were in a number of cases keeping 

 accounts with the help of the village schoolmaster. This 

 plan was not always successful, but a real interest was being 

 taken in the subject at the present time. It would have 

 been better if costing accounts had been started years ago. 

 Evidence before the Income Tax Commission had shown the 

 wide variation in the valuation of farms, due to the in- 

 experience of farmers in this matter, but that would 

 disappear with the introduction of a system of accounts. 



