THE FARMERS' UNION AND PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue 7544, 20 August 1902, Page 2

THE FARMERS' UNION AND PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sib, — The air throbs with the announcements of forthcoming Parliamentary candidates, and I begin to wonder if our country people are alive to the fact that, now or never, the rural communities of New Zealand must unite in solid block voting for one proper man to represent the interests of each rural electorate in Parliament. It is patent to any one in any way connected with the farming industry that the trend oi recent legislation has been towards giving the city population of this country an exaggerated importance and influence in the control of affairs, so much so, that tbe colony appears to be run for the city labor unions. Now, none too early, the Farmers' Union has come into being, and, contrary to some Jeremiahs, I confidently look for wise, beneficial, and far-reaching results from this organisation, which does not yet know its strength. At this point I would express the opinion that it is not necessary to have frequent, large, and enthusiastio meetings to prove the live condition of an organisation like this ; to farmers, meetings nowadays are a too frequent luxury. Our Union has its local and provincial leaders ; they are good men ; let them issue their recommendations, and let us follow them, and "shoot straight." And here let me ask not only every farmer and his family, but every farm assistant who hopes to be a farmer, and every shopkeeper and shopkeeper's assistant in rural towns Buch as jours, to pause and consider if their interests do not lie in fostering economic and unirksome legislation in this colony, that will inorease the prosperity and spending power of the country populations. Sir, their interests all lie in the same direction, and if they are only wise they will acknowledge it to themselves and act accordingly. The question then arises how best to ensure the correct Parliamentary representation of these common interests. I quite acknowledge the sound fighting wisdom of the decision arrived at by tbe Colonial Executive of the Union with regard to Parliamentary candidates. I acknowledge that it would be a mistake to run exclusive candidates of our own, and that the right course to adopt is to request all rival candidates to submit to and abide by the Union's arbitration. This should be done at an early date now, for various reasons obvious to all ; and I hold that the candidate who does not submit to and abide by such arbitration is no friend of the rural communities. Finally, sir, if the candidate selected by this method in my distriot were my greatest personal enemy, he would receive my unhesitating vote, and that is what I call " shooting straight." — I am, etc.,

BuiiliSEYß.