The Press. FRIDAY, MAY 25, 1906. THE FARMERS' UNION.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12502, 25 May 1906, Page 6

The Press. FRIDAY, MAY 25, 1906. THE FARMERS' UNION.

The proceedings at the finet day of the Provincial Conference of the Farmers' Union suggest that the detractors of that body will have to wait some time for ite dissolution. There was & good attendance of delegates, and the number and variety of subjects dealt with, and the manner in which they were discussed, gave no indication' that, despite its preference for the freehold, the Union is in a moribund condition. Ite critics will aliso have hard work to discover any trace of what they term the blight of party politics in the report of the Conference. It ie true a resolution was moved in favour of paying the Leader of the Opposition), "whoever he may be," an annual salary, and giving Slim access to all departmental books and doouments. There is nothing very partisan about the idea, for members on both, sides of the last House epoke in. favour of paying the Leader of the Opposition, a salary, a etep, it may be added, to which the Canadian Legislature agreed last year. Apart from this, there seems to have bean no subject on the agenda paper on which any farmer could not form an opinion quite unaffected by party bias. The Union is now, as it always has been, a non-party organisation. But the farmers' interests are effected in greater or loss degree by almost every Act passed by the Legislature, and the Union cannot fairly be charged with, being a partisan body because now and again it protests against legislation calculated, in its belief, to injure the welfare of its members and the important class they represent. Wβ have never yet understood why it should be judged improper for farmers to look after their interests in this way, and why they should be criticised for doing what the workers in the cities are encouraged to do. At the same time, we can/not think that the Union has yet reached its fullest usefulness. We agree heartily with the President of the Canterbury district in his remark that much more work of an educational nature might be done' at the meetings of branches of the Untkra. "Instead of so much time being "devoted to the cheese-paring policy of " endeavouring to obtain reduction in "railway nates, dn the rate of commis"eion on the sale of produce, and so " on, they should give more attention to "improving tibeir methods, of farm- " ing, and thus increase th&Lr "own profits and the wealth of "the community. It was a pity that "more work of that nature was not "done at the branch meetings. Short " papers could be read on matters of "general interest to farmers." There is sound wisdom in this, event if the criticism is somewhat sweeping. Aβ Mr Pannett, of oouree, knows well, the subjects he mentioned as occupying the attention of members at Union meetings are of considerable importance to all farmers. What lie meant was that they, and questions of like nature, should not be the only subjects of discussion, but that the members of branches ehould devote come time to discussing matters connected raoro closely with the actual work of farming. We have no doubt that if his advice were followed the Union would increase in popularity, as it would assuredly increase in usefulness. Mr Pannett's warning against land booming should also bo laid to heart by farmers, who m this matter are. as he said, their own worst enemies. Tho growth of the Union is slow, a fact which is due, we believe, to the prosperity of the clase it, seeks to benefit. When times are good, as they are now, and have been for some years, tho farmer ie tolerably content to take things as tiiey are. But the proceedings at yesterday's Conference showed that there is plenty of vitality /in tho Union, and we have every confidence that its membership will increase with its years.