Farmers and Parliament.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18015, 6 March 1924, Page 10

Farmers and Parliament.

It is reported in the official organ of the Auckland provincial branch of the Farmers' Union that a committee of Members of Parliament has been set

up to act in conjunction with the Dominion Executive in matters of importance to the primary producers. The Committee, numbering eight, consists of three Ministerialists, four Liberals, and one Independent. Xo doubt the setting up of this Committee is due, at least in part, to the influence of those members of the Auckland Farmers' Union who some time ago were agitating vigorously for the formation of a Farmers' Party independent of the existing political organisations. That agitation, it. will be remembered, was feverishly supported by some of the organs of the Opposition, which hoped that the establishment of a fourth Party would injure the Government by splitting the Keform vote. The case against the formation of this new Party, from the standpoint of farmers as well as from

the national standpoint, was urged in "The Press" and in other quarters,

and the result was that the agitation came to nothing. Perhaps it is felt by the Auckland Union that, a new Party being impracticable, the next best thing is to organise a Farmers' Group in Parliament. There is nothing to be objected to in the idea that there should be a group of members whose business it will be to bring directly and prominently before the House any matter which the New Zealand Farmers' Union may think Par-

liament should consider, and so long as the newly-formed Committee restricts itself to the discharge of this function it may do useful work. But if this group were to act as a small bloc, fighting in season and out of season for farmers' interests, and making those interests their chief or only care, it would do far more harm than good. At the present time rural interests are well represented in Parliament, and represented in the best way —by members, that is to say, who realiso the great importance of the agricultural industry but who do not forget that there are other interests to be considered.