BACKBONE OF THE NATION

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 126, 29 May 1914, Page 4

BACKBONE OF THE NATION

,THE PRIMARY PRODUCER , - AGITATOES, CONDEMNED. ■ (BY TELEaRAPII— PIIISS ASSOCIATION.) CHKISTCHUECH, 28th May. The annual Provincial Conference of the North Canterbury district ox the New Zealand Farmers' Union opened to* day. The retiring President, Mr. C. H. Ensor, in his opening address, said that ..during the I '^''number of. new. branches had been formed, and the membership of the union in North Canterbury had been increased by 416 members, which denoted progress. The speaker impressed upon delegates the importance of the business in hand, and emphasised the definition of "primary producer," who, according 1 to President Hagenbarth, of the National Woolgrowers' Association "of America, was the backbone of the nation"' and its main strength. Yet the tendency of modern legislation was to favour not the primary producer, but the "parasites," or people who, existed on the fruits of primary producers. They had the primary producer at the head of affairs in the .Dominion to-day, and the speaker believed that prosperity would follow to all classes. • The distribution of primary produce was a question which affected the consumer as much as the producer, and there was enormous %yaste to 'Jjoth under the present conditions. Sufficient wheat conltl be grown by the 'farmer and milled- by the miller for 3d, but by the time it went through the channel of distribution .the retail , price was 6d or 7d. Other articles were made equally costly by having unnecessary distributing charges added to them, and he felt sure that by better and more up-to-date conditions the prices of the necessaries of life could be greatly reduced. Referring .to the late strike the speaker commended the labour leaders and organisations who worked for the good of the class by constitutional and proper methods, but condemned unreservedly the agitators who inflamed the workers for their own ends^ The thanks of all wero due to the men who had opened the ports and restored trade and peace to the Dominion during the recent troubles. The sympathy of all would go out to the misguided men and women who suffered from the bad leadership of foreign agitators and strife-makers. The Farmers' Union had certainly justified its existence by the prompt manner in which the branches collected their mem•bers for the purpose of quelling the rebellion against the handling of their produce, and it was essential that all farmers should be members of their union for self -protection. .The speaker criticised the recent Australian waterside' workers' award, which introduced the' principle of giving a living wage for 3^ days' work, which would infallibly increase the cost of production. Payment for loafing time was bad for the workers and bad for the State. In conclusion the speaker said that with regard to the principle of co-operative banking by which farmers could assist themselves and each other, it might be favourable to establish a system on the lines of the French "Credit Foncier."