Legis_lati_ve Assembly

they‘are going to receive more, and you talk to some farmers and a lot of them say they are not going to receive any more. Some of them will receive none at all be- cause of the fact that they did not ship any milk last year. It is very discouraging for any young farmer to enter into the dairy business today. They make loans here for establishing the young farmers on farms, and immediately proceed to put forth a subsidy that they are unable to participate in. This is what I understand from those I have talked to. When you get pushed around by government like this, it is very discouraging for a young farmer to take on the vocation of farming when this type of situation exists. The same applies to rk. He may have just got into the ho raising business and the bottom goes out 0 pork. Of course, this has been trad tion for years and it is very hard and discouraging for any one to get into this type of business. The poultry products, they are a thing of the past in this Riovince. The e g market and the poultry market have all fallen into the hands of w t we might cal “factory production”, and the small farmer is practically out of business with regard to this phase of farming. I trust that the Government will carry on the policy for fertilizer as introduced by the Government. The former government introduced a subsidy on fertilizer to encourage farmers to grow more of their own grain. This, to my mind, is a very excellent policy and I hope that the Minister of Agriculture will carry this on for some time to come in order to encourage farmers to grow more grain of their own. What the Minister of Agriculture is not doin is encouraging and seeking new markets for the farm products. The Minister of Ericulture, evidently, is satisfied with the deal put forth by Ottawa in regard to the su sidy on otatoes at the peresent time. I submit, Mr. Speaker, this is not a proper deal and t e Minister of Agricul- ture should have, along with the other members of the Government, protests these meager and measley crumbs from the table at Ottawa to our farmers who are, and have been, working so hard to make a livingand are caught in a price squeeze of the cost of production and what they receive for their products.

I submit, Mr. Speaker, that the only solutions to our problems here with regard to farm roducts is that of marketing. It says here, “My Government will continue its ne tiations with the Government of Canada for the purpose of developing and expan ing markets, more advantageous arrangements to meet the short term medium and long-term credit requirements of Island farmers.”

Mr. Speaker, right today, right this minute this Government should have many representatives throughout the whole world seeking markets for their agricultural and fisheries products. It is too late to do anything with this year’s crop but it is certainly the time, and possibly past time, to be seeking and contacting and negotiating for markets for our Island products for the farm scene for next year’s harvest.

Again, I would like to suggest that the Minister of Agriculture, with the potato situation as it is today exists, contact Ottawa and suggest, Mr. Speaker, that with all their Trade Commissioners throughout the world, and this should come from the Min- ister of Agriculture or the Premier of this province, that a common market be estab- lished in the Western Hemisphere the same as that exists in many European countries today. With a third of the worl ing to bed hungry every night it is a crime that products such as we have to offer ere in Canada, and particularly in Prince Edward Island, are being dumped and wasted by the thousands and thousands of tons. I think the Minister of Agriculture should promote somethi like this or the Premier. He might get a favourable hearing at the federal level an let the federal people carry out negotiations. This would entail a great deal of negotiations, there is not a uestion about that, but you must have a starting point and I suggest, Mr. Speaker, t at the starting point, the suggestion, come from his Government and this Le 'slature to Ottawa. Impress upon the officials there the very great necessity for we an agree- ment to 'be reached with the people of the countries of the Western Hemisphere. There is nothing that we grow or produce here in this province that could not be processed in some manner or means and taken and delivered to many of the southern countries which, at the present time, are so badly in need of our products.

“Technological advances in farming methods have assisted our farmers in ach- ieving greater efficiency and higher incomes”. And they propose to continue a program of elementary schools.

Now, Mr. Speaker, with regard to the consolidation of schools. I must thank the Minister of Education for finally deciding on a site for the Morel] Consolidated Ele- mentary School. Mr. Speaker . . . . . .

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