Rural protest spreading

Press, 27 February 1986, Page 1

Rural protest spreading

By

HUGH STRINGLEMAN

farm editor

With bushfires of rural protest, springing up throughout New Zealand the leadership of Federated Farmers is coming under increasing pressure to start a blaze in Wellington.

The latest outbreak of rural concern with the economic situation is in North Canterbury, where a group of people round Oxford have planned a big public meeting in Christchurch, on March 13.

While supporting the Oxford initiative, the North Canterbury executive of Federated Farmers yesterday also resolved to ask the Dominion executive of the federation to try to see

the Prime Minister, Mr Lange. A farming leaders’ delegation of 40 to 50 during the Dominion council’s meeting in Wellington next week was discussed in North Canterbury, as an alternative to a big i Wellington rally of; farmers which those in ; the South Island would i not find easy to attend. , Public meetings of; angry rural people are' springing up New Zealand. The first in Canterbury will be heldiq Timaru next Monday. | The Christchurch meeting will be at the Town Hall on the afternoon of Thursday, March 13. The speakers will include the chairman of the Wool Board, Mr Doug Mcllraith; the Dominion president of Federated

Farmers, Mr Peter Elworthy; the director of the Meat and Wool Boards’ Economic Service, Mr Neil Taylor; and the director of the Bankers’ Federation, Mr Max Bradford. The Oxford organisers, represented by Mr Robert Johnston, were told by the North Canterbury executive yesterday that the meeting must be for all rural people, and not just farmers, and include plenty of time for questions and comments from the floor. “All the speakers have got to get the message that there should be no rehash of the economic past but concentrate on the future,” said Sir William Dunlop, a former Dominion president As with the Timaru

rally, the Christchurch meeting will gather together farmers and their families, rural servicing people, rural workers, and anyone involved in the rural economy. “They are all hurting badly,” said Mr Johnston. “If this shocking situation continues we will lose some of our best people out in the country.” The North Canterbury executive also agreed to take to Wellington next week a strongly worded remit from the Oxford branch seeking to . put some distance between the federation and the economic policies of the Government ’. ; ' :

“We request that the federation dissociate itself from this Government and its policies because wages have gone up 20 to

30 per cent; inflation has been 15.8 per cent; interest rates have been 24 per cent and are not likely to go down; no efficient farmers were supposed to go off their properties but this is happening, and the Government has failed to achieve a realistic exchange rate?’ said the remit

“Immediate action must be taken to rectify these points for the survival of the farming community,” said Mr Lindsay McGrath, the Oxford branch chairman. ‘

“We have three young farmers and their families trying to live on less than the teachers are going for as wage increases,” said Mr John Schurink, the deputy branch chairman.