FARMERS’ UNION

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 148, 8 June 1932, Page 5

FARMERS’ UNION

RALLY IN WAIPUKURAU. AUCKLAND EXECUTIVES’ ADDRESSES. Under the auspices of the Hawke’s Bay Provincial District of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union two of the leading executive officers of the Auckland district addressed a large and representative assemblage of farmers in the Oddfellows’ Hall, Waipukurau, yesterday afternoon. The meeting formed the first of a series of rallies to be held in Hawke’s Bay. Mr J. A. Kerr, a vice-president of the Hawke’s Bay district, presided and briefly welcomed Captain F. Colbeck and Mr A. E. Robinson, as being well versed in the problems at issue. Ho referred to the mutters at issue as knotty ones. The subject of the address was “Causes of and tlfe Remedy for Our Nation’s Difficulties.” Captain Colbeck was the first speaker, and expressed the opinion that the situation could be remedied at short notice. We were suffering, be said, from over-production, and had 50,000 men unemployed. What was lacking was the means of exchange. His remedy represented the orthodox way. Mr Robinson would deal with the unorthodox method. The only market for secondary industries was the domestic, and he thought they were worse off than the primary. The bootmaker, tailor, and others were encouraged to establish factories. These became a vested interest. The orthodox way was to buy in the market in which goods were sold at reasonable prices. On £lOO worth of goods purchased in London the local price required to show a profit of 10 per cent, was £2lO. In a suit of clothes there were only 51bs. of greasy wool, therefore the price of wool had little bearing on the price. For the necessaries of life the costs had been added to by £18,000,000 per annum in New Zealand as the remit of the customs system. For every article imported there are two produced in New Zealand, am] the consumer had to pay extra on the three items; it aas an unbusinesslike course.

UNEMPLOYED PROBLEM. The position of the unemployed was a dreadful one to-day and was becoming hopeless. What had the Government done" Well they had reduced interest and taxation, but the result had only been a fall all round. He showed that a suit of clothes purchased in London at £6 0/5 had been priced at £l4 11,2 in New Zealand in order to show a profit of 10 per cent., the difference being accounted for by the tariff and freight charges. “From the exporters’ point of view buying locally is the greatest mistake you can make!” said the speaker As the cost of living was raised wages required raising. The taxation of companies was criticised, it being shown that the amount concerned was passed on. When the banks had been taxed they passed it on by doubling the charge for keeping accounts. To do away with this system would mean lower wages but no one would be hurt because of lowered prices. He pointed to the adverse operation of protection in the U.S.A and quoted an authority (Dr. Butler) in support of his case. ‘ ft was shown that while the wages of workers had been inmw.sed 000/.)(X) were unemployed t.lwte'by. The speaker pointed out that we had to give something for the 10 per cent

Britain was giving us. He hoped that the New Zealand statesmen (or politicians) would make an offer to the Homeland at the Ottawa Conference. Applause followed the close of Captain Col'beek’s address.

MR ROBINSON’S SPEECH. Mr Robinson, on the unorthodox side, dealt with the derating of farm lands. He supplied figures in support of his case, showing that there had been very substantial increases in rates. The farmer drew his money from outside the country and spent it within the country. He was caught in every direction—not only through the tariff. Since 1914 the expenditure on roads had increased terrifically, those in the backblocks being the principal sufferers, because of the lack of assistance. He maintained that farm laud should be derated. The Auckland district had led in telling the public what was going to happen. The position had been fully explained to the public of Auckland. We were facing a serious situation and men who were conservatives to-day would probably in two years’ time be leading *a revolution. The world was full of goods of every description, which were being destroyed. It had been found difficult to get rid of copper, the process being costly in certain instances which the speaker detailed. In the U.S.A, the farmers had been told to kill every tenth cow! Already 25 per cent, of the world’s production had been stopped in the course of two years and trade had fallen 40 per cent.

The speaker concluded a specially informative address by appealing for support of currency reform, pointing to the remarkable enthusiasm aroused by Captain H. M. Rushworth, M.P., on the occasion of his recent address in Auckland, a resolution in support being moved by General Sir George Richardson.

At the close of his speech Mr Robinson was heartily applauded and on the motion of the chairman both speakers were very cordially thanked for their able addresses. Mr A Lowe (Hastings) took advantage of the occasion to direct attention to the desirability of Waipukurau being linked up with the Stable Currency League, a branch of which had been termed in Hastings-