Conclusion. 119 



farmer can make a living or scrape a profit by farming 

 safely, but unenterprisingly. Protection or subsidies may 

 induce a measure of cultivation, but are wasteful expedients 

 and in this country are never likely to be permanently 

 adopted. It is more likely that we should find the land 

 underf armed. 



If we are in earnest in seeking to make the best use of 

 our land, and if we mean to maintain a rural population 

 with a standard of living that will make it worth while for 

 the workers to remain in the industry we must make the 

 industry more productive. The margin in the industry 

 as it is conducted to-day is not sufficient to provide the 

 necessary improvement in the condition of the workers, 

 and unless we are prepared to make fundamental changes, 

 the danger is that the demand for labour will decrease 

 and the national resources in the land deteriorate. Private 

 ownership of land has broken down, and private enterprise 

 in farming is not capable of meeting the needs of the 

 community. The only hope lies in the community making 

 itself responsible for the industry and in setting to work 

 to organise it as a definite public service. 



