FARMERS' UNION MATTERS

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LI, Issue 9138, 10 July 1906, Page 5

FARMERS' UNION MATTERS

MR J. C. COOPER'S ADDRESS.

Mr J. C. Cooper, a raembeT of the Colonial Executive of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, who during the past week I lias bean addressing meetings in various parts of the district, was at the Opejra House, Haweara, on Monday evening, but bis audience, owing to the unfavorable weather, was small. Mr F. W. Wilkie, who presided, briefly introduced Air Cooper. Mr Cooper regretted that he had met 6o much bad weather in Taranaki. He said it was not the speaker who was invited to Taranaki, but the President of Jho Colonial Executive (Mr Wil&on). Mr Wilson, however, was in delicate health, and was a very busy man, spending half of each, day on Onion matters. Under these circumstances Mr Cooper had been oaked to' come. The speaker first dealt with fire insurance, which he. considered one of the most important of farmers' questions. Most of tho provinces had established mutuals of their own, and he was assured that Taranaki had about £100,000 insurable value* on their books. The Otago Union wast the most successful in the colony, and must have upwards of £200,000 of farmers' risks, which, were the best risks. In looking through tho report of Mr Hunter, a Canadian insurance authority, he found that they managed to take the risks in I that country at from 3s. to 4s per cent , and he had no doubt that we in New Zealand, by being particular in the risks taken and making the holder of the policy take part of his own risk, would work things just as cheaply. Farmers had other risks besides fir© risks — employers' liabilities. It was the intention of the conferonce to form a scheme for insuring farmers' employees if satisfactory arrange monts could not be made with another company to take the risks at less than the present rate. This scheme would be more comprehensive than any worked at present by companies, as all classes of farm laborers woold be covered. They had, however, succeeded in getting great reductions from the South Britfish already. The Union, as tho audience was aware, went in for politics, but not party polities, j and the question of franchise was of par- j ticular interest. At a banquet recently a Minister of the Crown (Mr McGowan) had said that tho Government intended introducing a Bill next session to give ratepayers enual voting power. It had been aubmitted that the ratepayers and nonratepayers have eaactly the same, voting power, in respect alike of elections and of loan pnlh, and the Farmers Union eaid that that was not jusfc, and opposed it because they maintained that representa- , bion and taxation -should -be coincident, tt was said by those- supporting the pro- J posal in an indirect sense those other- than ' farmers were also ratepayers, as the Gov- j arnment gave yearly subsidies to local bodies amounting to £70,000 out of tho wnsolidated revenue, but this was more than counterbalanced by the £100,000 , given yearly to Hospital Boards by local - bodies, not to speak of the land tax paid jo tiio General Government, which this year would approximate, half a million. Ehose who styled themiselevs the Trades md Labor Unionists, principally city re- i ridents, were the moversin this direction, md -also in the direction of protection. In freetrade the farmers were not acting merely in antagonism to these oeople, but because- they airgued that Sew Zealand was mainly a producing xyuntry, and had to sell its piodtucts in the world's markets, and bo the fairmem* should je given the opportunity of buying in the jheaipest mairkeit. The continual rush of people into the nitdes helped to raise the cry for protection. The cry for protection came largely irom the cities and in tumrn the protected ndustries (tended to draw people to the atdes a tendency greatly to be deplored "or many reasons. The influence of the Union would Be against the tendency, and there was on© reason why it wanted to see the education 6ystem improved, so as x> give-country children facilities for learning something abbu|t thle principles of j igricuilture and to encourage them in the study thereof. The beet ability was wanted on the lamd. The culture of the j soil was a scientific employment and the ; finest talent was necessary to its develop- j mem*. Science had done much for the ' colony, and particularly for Taranaki, in j ptroof of which he quoted the practical ; results thereof in tne shape of the eepaxa- j tor and' the (refrigerator, but countries such as Denmark had excelled 1 through being up-to-date in experimental stations and dairy schools. Surely it was time to have one of each) an New Zealand, and also a laboratory for Mr GilTuth and his staff. What could be done, in other countries could be done in this, and he quoted the instance of the recovery France had made since the Resolution, when her people were starving, while now she was one of the greatest producing countries in Europe. How many practical farmers in New Zealand, he asked, knew anything about the analysis of the soil, or the analysis of manures or the breeding of catrtile. The bulk of the farmers of to-day ware a long way be. hind time, and hence « start was being made in the schools. He dealt at length with the Union's attitude on the freehold question. It supported the tenant's right to the freehold because the introduction of Fair Rent Bills had shown that the lease was not inviolable, because a man was most likely to make the best use of land he owned', and because of the economic principles involved. At the present rate of progress many millions would soon have been borrowed in the {resumption of private land and the Government of the colony would be nothing but an agent between tihe tenants and the absentee money lender. Let the land of the colony belong to the people of the colony. Prior to the existence of the union the land natdonaliste were very strong, but he claimed 'that the Union's argumente had diminished- this socialistic influence, and he was bound to say that in his opinion whatever might be the force of socialistic arguments in bhe conditions- prevalent in European countries they should have no ' power in. a couintTy like New Zealand, where every man, unless laboring under Borne extraordinary handicap 'had a chance of rising by bis own labor into a position of comfort. A plank in the Union's programme was reform of administration, and here it was said the Opposition party spirit appeared, but he pointed out that apart from party politics the farmers were interaflted in: economical and sound administration .for they have to pay f^r all. It was said borrowing days vrese coming to a close. He thought that the era of borrowing was just beginning, and he aigue'd from Tfaiglikh experience that the completion, of railways -was only the starting point' of othero. The Union could not recommend

much in regard to the Tailways except that it opposed the co-operative labor system,, but the same argument applied to roadmaking. These must still go on } and here there was great Toom for improved adi ministration. He advocated a reform of the subsidy system on local taxation, so as to encourage local effort, and he bey lieved that in an extension of this system lay the possibility of doing away with ■special grants which went so far towards sapping the country settlers' independence. He concluded, amidst applause, with an exhortation to all f aTmeTs to join the Union and to all to- take an active part in the affairs of the colony. On the motion of the Chairman a hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr Cooper.