VOTE-SPLITTING PARTIES.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 4 October 1927, Page 6

VOTE-SPLITTING PARTIES.

LEVIN FARMERS’ UNION URGES

SOLIDARITY.

but candidly criticises government methods.

The Country Party was served up with tabasco sauce at two Farmers’ Union meetings in Levin on Saturday. It had communicated with various persons of high standing in the Union, seeking their help in obtaining funds with which to contest the Raglan seat. It is hardly in keeping with the traditions of political campaigning for a party to betray its nakedness in this way. However, Mr H. Denton, the Union’s Levin branch chairman, received one of the letters, and he produced it to the provincial executive, and also to the branch meeting later in the day. As the Raglan contest was over, the necessity for a reply had passed, but the branch passed a resolution disapproving of the formation of the party.

At the executive meeting, the chairman (Mr 0. P. Lynch) stated, that the idea underlying the Country Party Avas that although people Avcre told that they noAV had a farmers’ government, it Avas nothing of the sort. The members of the ruling party folloAved their leader into the lobby against their own common sense and against the interests of the rural Avorkers. ' When the letter Avas before the branch meeting, the discussion embraced the general question of political action. The branch chairman (Mr Denton) stated that until the last Dominion conference, there Avas no unanimity in the Union as to political action. The Auckland people had been battling for it for years, but the Canterbury people wore against them. At the last conference, for the first time in the history pf the Union, they Avere unanimous that they must take some part in politics. They had had their first shot at Raglan. Mr Gimblett: At the expense of the Reform Party. The chairman: They are not out for the Reform Party. The Dominion Conference was not for them. Mr W. G. Adkin: I hope that everyone in this room is for the Reform Party. It is the only party Avith any hope at all. The Chairman: Can anyone point to anything at all that we are getting out of it?

Mr Tully; This is the best showing the Country Party have had yet. The Chairman: They doubled their vote.

Mr Gorringe: It is a very dangerous experiment. The Chairman: That was the opinion delegates at the conference, but the conference buried all that and appointed a committee of seven —the president and three from each island. When they came back they were unanimous that the political situation should be watched.

Mr Richards; The Auckland people have voted that way for 15 years at the Dominion conferences. The Farmers’ Union must have politics, but not party. As soon as we have that we will have divided opinion among ourselves and will split every time. Last Thursday a lot of the farmers put the Labour man in.

The Chairman: Because they voted for their own party—the-Farmers’ Party. Mr Richards: The farmers split, and voted for three men.

The Chairman: What Avould you suggest in lieu of the Country Party'? Mr Richards: You will never get unanimity if you take up one particular party. The Reform Party has been the most likely side to support fanning interests.

Mr Adkin remarked that there were three parties —Reform, Liberal and ■ Labour. There was no room for a. fourth party. The Liberals could be ticked off; there were a few straggling members in the House. There might be some good men among them; but they were not very well balanced as a whole. As for Labour, they know what that meant, as small freeholders —confiscation in the long run, if the party could do it. He put his faith in the common sense of the British people as against a Labour Government. The farmers would never consent to anything but the freehold. There was no hope from the Liberals, as they would never get into power again in the lifetimes of those present. The Labour Party were the sworn enemies of the farmers. Thus they must take the best party they could get—the Reform Party.' They were not satisfied with that party, knowing'that the members of it were apt to work for the moneyed interests. He hoped there was no one present who would think of supporting any other party than the Reform Party* Mr Gimblett said he had come to the meeting to do what he could to prevent this branch from helping along the Country Party. He (lid not want it to go out that they were against Labour, but that they were against the policy, principally the land policy, of a Labour Government. There were some fine men in the Labour-movement, as in the Reform party, but the former were nailed down to the laud policy that no one on the land could accept. The Country Party evidently would never get ini* A certain percentage of farmers were supporters of a Labour Government. The Farmers’ Union members were the remainder, and they were in the minority. In that case, what was the use of their putting a party up? When an election was approaching, they should be on the committee to pick their candidate. The Labour Party were cheering all the time. Ho hoped that this branch would pass a resolution condemning the action of the Country Party. Mr Adkin: Our work is to reform the Reform Party. Mr Lynch, provincial president, stated that*it was unanimously decided at the Dominion conference that they take direct political action, in place of no direct action. , . , . Mr Richards: That is a thing from taking a party staiuL Mr Lynch: The Country Party is apart from the Farmers’ Union altogether, although it originated with the Auckland executive. Until we get word frem headquarters, there being a special committee set up to watch the trend

of things and try to come to some understanding regarding politics, we don’t know what line the Farmers’ Union is going to take. Before the next election takes place the New Zealand conference will be held. A special conference will be called to go into the whole thing. Whatever decision the committee comes to, there will be something pretty solid about it. I don’t think the Country Party exists anywhere except in Auckland. The reason for this political action coming into existence is the side-stepping of . everything we put forward.. The Ministers are at their wits’ end to find sufficient excuses for not doing anything. The idea is to get men into Parliament who will see to things being done, irrespective of party. To-day they vote against things contrary to their own good sense, and vote because the whip cracks. Mr Richards stated that 15 years ago the Union sent out a list of questions, and the candidates who answered favourably were supposed to receive the support of the Union in each district, irrespective of what party they belonged to. Mr Gimbletfc: The farmeia have not stood together. Mr Richards: We have never been strong enough.

The Chairman: I think wc should reply to this letter. It was to obtain help for the fighting fund. Mr GimbUtt then moved as follow's, Mr Gorringe seconding:—

That the Levin branch of the Farmers’ Union deplores the action of those responsible for the creation of the Country Party in politics.

The mover stated that it was the actions of the Reform Government that had put the writing on the wall. The lion, Dowuie Stewart had spoken of the Government lending a million; but the mortgages in this country amounted to hundreds of millions. Could the small farmers be blamed if they voted for Labour ? He did not think so. Were the farmers not foolish to form another party? He would say, kick out the drones and put in working members. Mr H. McLoavey said, with regard to political action, that he would advise the branch not to be too hasty in passing a resolution either way. Nothing had been finally decided yet. A committee had been set up to go into the advisability of the Union taking political action; but this was not to say that such action was going to be taken. Mr MeLeavey counselled his hearers to stand behind Mr Poison, Dominion president, in which event they would be doing more good to the Union and the country as a whole than by passing resolutions that would be detrimental and playing into the hands of the opposing forces. Mr Gimblett said it was the duty of the branches to show in no uncertain manner that they were opposed to the creation of any other party. They were not going to hinder Mr Poison in carrying out his work if they passed this resolution. ,

Mr Adkin: Unfortunately big finance rules the Government.

Mr Lynch: The Government favours that very largely because it is the big fellow who pays the income tax. The more he makes, the more they can pick off him.

Mr Gimblett: Bleeding the country to take it out of the small farmer with high interest. Mr Lynch: The same thing is happening in England. There is an enormous loan, and consequently the Government is favouring those 'concerns that are raking the money in. Mr Adkin said he had onc£ pointed out to a bank inspector that 15 per cent, dividends were being paid by banks because they were standing on the necks of the small farmers. The. inspector replied that this profit was for services rendered. The speaker’s answer was that the same services were rendered in the Old Country for 0 per cent.

On being put to the meeting, the motion was carried unanimously.