COUNTRY PARTY.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18242, 28 November 1924, Page 9

COUNTRY PARTY.

o rganisersattauranga. (BWCUt TO "THS PBEB8.") \UCKLAXD, November 27. » a Farmers' Union luncheon at the proposed Country Party jjs di scU - j^,. s oaf ] er 0 f {,i lo MeSSr ® ; AV S. Gossman and W. H. Sf(n>^ of the cxecuti r; f . th ® Sand 11 J : a 7 erS m ° n A' rWaiu F. Colbcck (a member of lliion), who attended tho function, \e on political matters, -supporting l >art i'4 Tjncg referred fo tho heavy burnfaced on primary producers. It Sfii* come to this, he said that the Jrlion of secondary .industries was SfJUiest burden on primary producamounted to millions and milSJVSK Cmmtry Party's 'firm was that tho nrotectioji of secshould be wiped out Stain period. The heavy incomelame concerns "\vas all passed fto the primary producers. There fjcomo a time when primary prefers' could bear no further burden, d that time was here now. During last five years production had not leased, but the public debt was m'ULinff There had been no expansion Settlement and would not be. If LFwas to 1)6 taken up things must bo Singed differently. They had many farmers in Parliament, but they wen' r'jm p? rtv men. They wanted men ha wpuW'be independent of any of the !!aent parties, and who would see to farmers' interests. It was proposed to iet up an independent party to which L fanners would rally, and they hoped to gat a. number of men into Parliament «t*he next general election, jjr p. E. Mac-Millan, M.P., said th© Reform Party was in accord with many pf the matters brought forward. As fegarded the reduction of taxation, the Government had stood firm in tho House, and eventually won a division far i reduction with a majority of two or three (votes. He quoted figures lo siow what the Government had done to increase settlement, and pointed out that there were 37 farmers in tho House of Representatives. The present Government stood firmly for the country quota. He contended that there T as a. dominating country party in the House. In reply Mr Ross said he blamed pfjffiwy producers for the present position, They had been pulling against tjjph flther and could not blatng the Government. He urged country pepple 11 combine. New Zealand was not near the limit of population £hat it could stippOFfc. If they could get back to mare normal conditions they could got all the land settled.

Mr A- McClinchie paid a glowing -fcrii«)t£ in the services rendered by Mr and said ho would like fo we the farmers again return him as thii; Parliamentary representative. Later the provincial delegates confefwj the local executive of the F«ltws' Union and a committee waa ijp to forward the Country Party Bwewent. 8