94 Agriculture and the Community). 



soundly under the system of free trade. Experience has 

 shown that any other system would be very difficult to 

 impose upon the people of this country, and if imposed 

 would be very difficult to maintain. There would never 

 be sufficient confidence in the maintenance of the protective 

 system to provide a healthy basis. For that reason I 

 believe that any efforts to establish the industry on the 

 basis of protective duties or guarantees are not in the best 

 interest of the industry and that the sooner we revert to 

 the condition of open markets and dispense with guarantees 

 the better it will be for the industry. All such proposals 

 for buttressing the industry are put forward for the purpose 

 of conserving the interests of the landowners and farmers 

 in the first instance. The assumption is that the industry 

 must give a sufficient return to the owners of land and the 

 owners of capital, otherwise the workers cannot be 

 employed. While the proposals are advocated as a means 

 of keeping the land in cultivation and maintaining more 

 workers in employment, these ends are dependent on the 

 rents being paid to the landowners, and the profits secured 

 to the farmers. Without such rents and profits the present 

 system would not function. 



But it is not the business of the community to ensure 

 that rent and profit will be created for the classes who live 

 by them. The interest of the community is to secure the 

 necessary food on the most favourable terms. That 

 interest is often narrowed to mean cheap food only. While 

 it is desirable that we should get our food as cheaply as 

 possible, the price must be such as will secure to the 

 producers a proper standard of living. That means that 

 those whose labour, skill and management are necessary 



