Labour and the Farmer

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 293, 6 September 1932, Page 11

Labour and the Farmer

Sir, —I see Mr. Polson ridicules the idea that there is any affinity between Labour and farmers. Mr. T. A. Duncan in his report to the meat producers says: “The tightening up of the dole regulations has also tended to affect the demand for all foodstuffs, and is doubtless one of the factors in reflecting the buying powers. The newspapers in this colony have published endless screeds praising the socalled economy Government at Home, but as their actions have impoverished our customers, I do not see we have anything to rejoice about. The finest thing that could happen to the New Zealand farmer is the diversion of the wealth of the Ola Country into the pockets of the workers. People with blocks of war stocks to convert are not the ones who buy our produce, but people like the Lancashire cotton operatives who are fighting to. keep up their standard of living, and incidentally fighting the battles of the New Zealand farmer. It seems to me there is a great affinity between English labour and New Zealand farmers, whether the same applies here or not All the preference quotas, etc., in the world will not do the farmers of this country half so much good as good wages in the envelopes of those employed at Home, and decent unemployment benefits to those out of work, oven if it comes but of the pockets of the rich am ’ etC ” YORKY. Halcombe, September 1.