ORGANISE!

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 964, 3 November 1910, Page 2

ORGANISE!

TO FIGHT SOCIALISM. AUSTRALIAN VISITOR'S ADVICE TO -FARMERS.

"It is absolutely that..'-.the farmers of New Zealand should drop their petty jealousies—the small against the big, and the big agaiust the small—and organise in the whole producing interests of the Dominion," said Captain A. W. Pearse, the editor of the "Pastoralists' Review," when asked by a representative of the Christohurch "Press'* for his opinion on the 'steps being, taken , in ;■ Canterbury, to organise the farming community . politically. Unless they did.- so, he continued, the town labour unions would put handicap upon handicap upon them. Many, of the unions in Australia had.passed -.a motion, affirming the desirableness' of an' export duty being placed- on; food ' products for the purpose/ as they contended, of cheapening the food of the people in Australia, A similar agitation would come •in New Zealand unless the farmers organised to prevent it. Quite recently.he;had.formedj one of a deputation which waited on Mr'., Fisher, the Federal Prime Minister,- to. protest against an export duty-on-hides, ■ the imposition of which was seriously entertainedi by the Commonwealth Governs , ment, but it was like kicking against af stono wall, as the caucus had probably , decided the matter.

The present policy of the New Zealand! Government in regard to the purchase of*, estates for settlement was, he said, aj wrong one, because interest had to bei paid to the London bondholder, from, whom the money was borrowed. This! money went out of the country, instead of; being spent in the. country, as.would h». the case if the estates were left to 'their-. ■ owners to deal with. The policy wasalscH ■■-.; bad because the Government would dare to evict its tenants..-.- . ■;;' :-." . In regard to taxation, although i« might at present be only on the', big man.j the time was',"fast approaching that-thej - : same taxation would be. imposed on. the small farmer. Once the Government found that the revenue-extracted from the ,bigi men was insμfficient they would turn 'at-< tention tD the smaller men. v lt was note--worthy that almost the first action of thai new Government of New South Wales , had been to declare that there would be' no more freeholds as far as the State's Crown lands were concerned. ....: "I am glad to see that in Canterbury, it is proposed to take steps to protect the! farming interests against tie inroads oft the labour, unions,", continued .Captain Pearse, "and-1 consider that a high-class* paid lecturer should be engaged to travel l throughout the ;whole of the Dominion! preaching anti-Socialism, and- emphasis-' ing the ruin that has befallen every) country that has adopted Socialistic legist: latum from the earliest days to the pre-< sent. I.find in New Zealand that where*, ever I go farmers are employing as little . labour as'possible. Painting is not being done, gardens are not being attended-toy,' and everything-requiring labour that i? not absolutely necessary : is: being donei without. '■ As.a warning to New' Zealand; farmers, and to show-..the extremes to which Labour,* has gone in Australia,! only two.' months ago ' a farmer was' fined .£lO because he gave his farm car-{ penter a wheel to' mend. ' The wage of . the carpenter was -30s. per week and found, and the wage' of the wheelwright', was 9s.' 2d. per day without keep.- The-. farmer was supposed 'to send into thm town of Wagga - to get a member of thej Wheel imghts' Union to mend the wheel! whilst the farm carpenter stood' by twiddling his tlutnibs. That is only one! instance, but almost every trade that isf ■under an award has the same right toi prosecute the farmer. Such a man as' a ! handy man on a farm is no ".longer.. required—the mail who can.mend a lock , or a fence—and the'farmer' will' have to' employ a .different, tradesman for every;; different job."' '" ■ ■■ > • -. ■ ■ Captain Pearse-considered'that one of) the'reasons why Australia-and-New Zea--land had not been as prosperous as they should have been was :the policy of State-owned' railways, 'so-called. They really belonged to the D.pndholders. Despite its''apparent defects,"-he assumed that the policy would -be" continued, but! he advocated the adoption ,of,-the policy] . 'adopted; in'.Sweden, where .the-;'trunki lihesf;are.:iowne'd by the State cipal"'.Councils? and private" V.compariiesf ■ are allowed to build the feeders.'-rl-This! policy had been adopted; iri;\:Qaeens-V land; . ■ ■ ■ ■ .'-, -, '"'•^ , i;';-- ; :'.