Farmers’ protest

Press, 13 June 1978, Page 16

Farmers’ protest

Sir, —If this action is against the law then what is the action of the trade unions in this country? I fully support Sid Slee and his band of irate farmers for this action. When the farmer is put under this amount of pressure to take such drastic action, it is time some of our politicians and other redtaped heirachy looked carefully at their positions in society. I suggest that cooperative works be set up, each responsible for a set number of farmer supplies within a zoned area. This gives management an exact idea of the stock numbers to be killed. All marketing should then be done through a central board and money distributed accordingly from profits. Whether there is a tiny fraction in the trade unions trying to bring about a downfall to this country I do not know. But New Zealanders should remember they are one, wake up and stand up against these stirrers.—Yours, etc., B. A. M. ROLLS. June 11, 1978.

Sir, —Do the Invercargill farmers really expect public sympathy for their disgusting exhibition of cruelty? To see on television weakened sheep being roughly hauled off trucks and dropped on to the road was sickening. A farmer said: “These sheep have suffered enough.” One could see they certainly had, but by their actions the farmer's concern was but for their money; no concern for their animals was apparent. If one’s civilisation is judged by the treatment of its animals, New Zealand's, among others, has a long way to go. —Yours, etc., DOREEN MANSBRIDGE. June 10, 1978.

Sir, —After seeing on television the sickening sight of starving sheep being slaughtered, some only half killed, in Invercargill and reading the description of it ail in “The Press” this morning, I ask who are we supposed to feel sorry for? The freezing workers? The farmers? Or the sheep? Has mankind, the cruellist of ail on earth, lost the little shred of compassion which one imagined classed him above the weaker animals?—Yours, etc.,

PEGGY HAMILTON June 10, 1978.

Sir, — The riotous behaviour of some Southland farmers complete with a barbaric and disgusting display of cruelty to innocent animals, in spite of massive and continuing handouts into their privately run businesses at the expense of the public purse, was appalling. Obviously aimed at political scoring against the freezing workers, upon whom all the sins of the employers are heaped, such an act of hostility and public disturbance, unhindered by the police, must be disturbing to many New Zealanders, more so in view of the nation-wide favourable publicity and lack of criticism by the news media, coupled with silence from the powerful Federated Farmers. It is to be hoped that the police would be

able to prove their professed neutrality and impartiality by initiating prosecutions. — Yours, etc., G. HARALLAMBI. Nelson. June 10, 1978.