The Coalition and the Wheat-Farmer.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20415, 9 December 1931, Page 10

The Coalition and the WheatFarmer.

Now that they have definitely lost Mr David Jones wheat-farmers will be asking themselves how they will fare when the new House meets. Mr Jones was not only the leader of the wheat party, but one of the leaders of Parliament, and his place cannot be taken by any other member. But if they have lost their strongest advocate wheat-farmers have also been relieved of two of their bitterest opponents, since the three most active enemies of the sliding-scale were Mr Donald of Auckland East, Mr McDonald of Wairarapa, and Mr Wilkinson of Egmont, and Mr Wilkinson is the only one of those three who will return to his place. It should also bo safe to assume that the five new members of the House who are farmers —Messrs McLeod, Reid, Stuart, Connolly, and Hargest—are as favourable to the duties as their constituents will permit them to be. There can be do -doubt about Mr McLeod, who was in office when the sliding-scalo was introduced, and responsible for it. Mr Connolly must also be as friendly as Mr Jones himself, if not yet as influential, and there can be no fear of Mr Hargest of Inveroargill.' The case of Mr Stuart of Rahgitikci, and of Mr

Reid of Raglan, is a little different, but his election speeches would seem to mark Mr Stuart at least as a wheatfarmer's friend, and there is nothing in his earlier record as a legislator to arouse suspicion of Mr Reid. Finallj, there is Mr McSkimniing of Clutha, who, if he is not a farmer, represents farmers, some of whom grow wheat, and it ought to be safe to assume that he will be as friendly to the glidingscale as Mr Waite has been.