Evening Post MONDAY, JULY SI, 1911. FARMERS AND POLITICS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 26, 31 July 1911, Page 6

Evening Post MONDAY, JULY SI, 1911. FARMERS AND POLITICS.

Year after year some members of the Isevr Zealand Farmers' Union have been sighing fitid pihiitg for an independent political party, "We won't be happy till ■fire gei it," tp-a-8 their Sfttittde, sho^n at each anntial conference, and at last the political section has triumphed. The union has not agreed to tag itself a&'a political organisation* but, it has decided to ptotnots and foster a "f«mrefs' Political Protection Association." The union may point to a distinction, but the general public ■will not see any difference between this move and a straight-flat political branding of the onion. The farmers have crossed the Rubicon and have 'burned the bridge. Their battlecfy i§ a. dentfflcfation of Socialism antl, practically, a cfy of "New Zealand for the farmers.'* The platform of this politteal federation is a weU'worn structure. TRe planfes ha.v^ been well trodden at mAny an aftmial conelate. Th« desire is to stipj&6Tfc caftfifdatf-s "Who shall b» deemed to hay* made the most satisfactory statements ot pledges," and this 6Hpp6ti of the fledged petsons, e*om at the lmsiingfl to do the farmers' bidding, is to be "irrespective of othfiT political parties." Candidates, to captate the farmers' selfish favour, must give straight- oit pledges for the ff behold, a willingness to sell Cftf^n landM on terms flagrantly unfair to the otrnefS (the general public of Nevr Zealand, andpostefily), opp'ositJon tt> "increase of fcatation by\ fra.y of land, tax ot pwtecfcive duty/ and sO on. This reference to "protective duty" bears on the secondary industries, and if. mearts that thfe Farmers' Political Protection Association is not a national protection association. It means that the farmers who stand fof the new political league ate hoetilfe io reasonable, eflcouwgertient of the secondary industries. Tlf* whole f»ktfe«n wifl be taken by an average reader to mean : "Hands off the> farmer; he is v sacrOsanefc. T)o not tax him. t)o not expetfc him to help id fflftk* N&# Zealand as eelf'contftined as possible. Give liini highly preferential treatment %vitli railways, telephones, and Otter public services, but cto not be mean enough to eX' feet, him to pay a fair share of the cost, ihemembe? that h6 is the backbone 6f the country, and remember also that this feaokbone is fd& to* hay© any btff- • d«n piit upon it. Let us have the earth ..and its ffctftess, and do aot mat out peaceful enjoyment of this fatness." We •do not say that thfe average reading 6f the platform is fair to the Whole farming body, but softie of thg selfish, membefs have invited th« formation 6f that Oftinktfa. \ There is an element of dieingfcnuovts huntOu? in the tag, "irrecpective of Other political parties," attached to ills Ktiptllation abottt the pledge*. The a*eociation is trying to give & Sort of assurance that it is nwi-parti«Rft from 'the ordinary political viewpoint, but no amount of ptet&nce cSh lilkgtrie© the colour of thi* latest political ,league. It is palpably Tory. It has been Mr. Maeeey's difficult tftsk, a# the Leader of' thfe. "Reform Party," to vroo the farmem and at the gatn« time to proclaim himself as the chief exponent of the Veal Liberalism, as distinct from the alleged pseudo-Liberfclism of the Govetntnfent, We have no donbt that the forces of -the "Farme«* Political P*frtection Association" will be ranged with the OppoTSttisn. With such Tories among Mr. Ma«sey'» following it will be impossible for him to make the majority ot New SSeaJandetffl seriously regard hi# shibboleth of "Reform," blow the trumpet« never «o loudly. Aphorisms about "Birds /of a. feather, and "Tell mo your company" will be quoted against him. The farmers may have hoped to hearten up Mr: Ms&sey, but they have chosen an unfortunate time. They have put upon him an obligation to cope with a query to tax the ingenuity of a Sir John Findlay. It is ; "When is a Tory not a Tory ?" "An answer like : "When he is a farmer," or *'When he is a reformer," will not satisfy New Zealand, Mr, Maesey h«* been required lately to use much art to commend tho "Reform Party" to the favourable notice of Labour, but we doubt his okill to do so now with bis background of the "FArmei's' Political Protection Association," with ite extreme nervousness about "legislation of a penai or Socialist character." We have no doubt that the effect of the new mnve by the farmera will be wots f4r-Ts«ching than it« promoters have anticipated, The tendency will lie to hasten a rearrangement, of political eletneftta nrtw in ft state of flux. On the surface it looks like a eWe of Country against Town, but. it is mere iliftn that. It i», in effect, aft attempt to divide N«w Zealand into two great parties, anti-Labour and Labour. It recalls *h» campaign of Sir George Tteid, the knight of anti'Socialwm. to consistently ridiculed by We pitiless critir, the Bulletin, as "Anti-Sash." The farmers ♦rWB hoping to jjet some respite from U'liifews JMMfefe" mi $m for. ««

doiftg their best to ebiMolidate the four or five Becfciotis of the Labour f0f 666. They have challenged Labour to cotts oflfc in battle array against them, and they hav6 forgotten that'N«w Zealafuj is a country of one man one vote and ofte ■ft'OJnan one cote, with the eecfet ballot. The largest squatter eSefe no larger vote than h.i 6 hum West employee at the ballot. Possibly the farmCTs havfe thought that they hswe done a good tnm for themeelves and the "Reform Party," but the wish thfe time « a pitiable father to the thought.