"JOIN YOUR UNION"

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 164, 14 July 1938, Page 13

"JOIN YOUR UNION"

ADVICE TO FARMERS.

PRIME MINISTER HITS OUT.

MB. MTJXHOIXAND CRITICISED

(By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.)

WELLINGTON, this day.

The Prime Minister, Mr. Savage, devoted some portion of his speech in the House of Representatives last night to criticism of Mr. W. W. Mulliolland, president of the Farmers' Union, who, he declared, had accused him of going round the country insinuating that the union did not represent the farmer and that he was trying to get them to break away. "He is supposed to be representing a non-political organisation with a political bias which would do credit to the member for Stratford." continued Mr. Savage, who said lie had been a member of a trade union the greater part of his life, probably longer than Mr. MuholIhihl, and his advice was to all farmers j that they should join their union, for it was the duty of every farmer to do so. I

"I would far sooner have the collective voice of the diiry farmers expressed through their union to the Government," said Mr. Savage, "than have to listen to the politically-minded liaised voice of their president, who has been travelling Uμ. and down the country damning with bell, book and candle the first Government to bring security to the dairy farmer. It is not doing justice either to the dairy farmer or the Government."

Another misrepresentation of which Mr. Savage complained was the suggestion that the Government was insisting on the socialisation of farms. Nothing could be further from the truth. The average farmer had a greater equity in his farm to-day than three years ago, and he challenged the Farmers' Union president to knock that point over. They were told that the Dairy Conference turned down the Government's proposals for a- price tribunal, but it was not the suggestion of the Government. It came from the Farmers' Union. The Government agreed to set up a tribunal if the farmers wanted it, but the Dairy Conference at New Plymouth turned it down flat, from which it appeared th.it the dairy farmers had more confidence in the Government than in the Farmers TJnion. (Laughter.)

Mr. W. J. Poison (National, Strat ford): Not by any stretch of imagina tion.

Mr. Savage: You have to take your gruel, brother.. (More laughter). I have no quarrel with, the Farmers' Union, and I will go through the country telling farmers to join their union."