FARMERS IN POLITICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXXI, Issue 10236, 3 January 1894, Page 3

FARMERS IN POLITICS.

TO THE EDITOB. Sib, With what satisfaction the farmers of New Zealand and their ever-to-bo*remembered better halves must have looked on the result of their work at the election a short time since. They saw that wherever an ordinary farmer was pitted against an old and long-triad politician of the wrong colour, the politician went down like grass before tho scythe—the power was irresistible. I wish, before the interest in the election has quite ceased, to draw the farmers’ attention to the source of tfiat great

power they wore able to exercise—a power only attained by determined combination brought about on this occasion by the all-absorbing idea with themselved and their wives of getting land to make use of. On other occasions there may be no such attraction to combine, and then will they be prepared to see all that power they have just seen they possess, frittered away in acting against each other P I have no doubt there will bo many occasions on which the farmers of Now Zealand will have, for their mutual benefit, to tako care that real combination shall make them powerful still; and from what I have heard there arc other classes of the community greatly dependent on farmers, who will only too gladly throw in their help and influence, to be retained and used when required. There seems to me to be only one way to concentrate this power; let farmers at once form farmers* clubs, all over the colony, for the distribution of practical knowledge and experience in farming to each other, and also for consulting on all political questions interesting to farmers; and 1 would suggest that all clubs should be open for lady members, aa I consider there is much more progressive influence in woman than in men, and they tako much more interest in progressive measures, and show more energy, in what they consider their cause, never being turned aside by either beer or blathering (to use an expressive Yorkshire term). They far outstrip their worser halves. Why, sir, while your voters in Christchurch were indolently being driven to the poll I saw in the country one old lady, between sixty and seventy (I dare go no nearer to the age) walk three miles of very bad roads and had her vote recorded for the Liberals before eleven o’clock had struck. That is what the female electors will do, and it behoves the other eex to awake from their apathy if they wish to retain their position before it is taken by their female friends. I hope farmers will never forget their whole strength lies in combined action; and that they will take steps that will lead to their being able to utilise the great power they have found that they possess at any time when necessary, and never forget that only in combination are they a power at all. Satisfactory to farmers as the election has proved, the outlook from the programme of Ministers is not quite so satisfactory as it might have been. The country requires immediate relief. Can we afford, with the country in the state of bankruptcy it is in (which merchants and stock agents could enlighten us on), to allow the present dillatory policy to go on, which has driven all the young farmers in the country—who, could they have got land, should have been the energetic, progressive farmers of the day, adding to the population, the exports and imports, and the work of our railways—to go from home, with their teams, to work at starvation prices by contract—a continuance of which would suit our Conservative friends and cropping that has driven every contractor out of the country P Who knows of a contractor now, except these young farmers ? They have long since sold their teams and fled the country. Other would-be farmers are at work shearing, or doing any work they can get, to ,try and live, all the ordinary labour of the country driven out of it. Such is the state that the Conservative policy of the last fifteen years has brought the country to. Is it stagnation or is it something worse, to make those who should be the moat powerful producers of the country into labourers, and drive the labour out of the country? Such is a state of things every lover of this country would implore the Minister for Lands to take the most energetic action to prevent a continuance of this evil that is such an enormous loss to individuals and the country. Who can tell the immense advantage it would have been to the Government, storekeepers, and the community generally had all this wasted energy I have mentioned been applied to the making of homes and enlarging the exports of the country. The Ministerial programme is unsatisfactory, because, from all we can learn, there is to be no meeting of the House before the usual time, and they do not intend to add to their strength in the Council, which I think in both cases will not be carrying out the wishes of the country, as it is quite possible, under those circumstances, it may be nearly two years before their land policy can be carried out, and what state will the country be in by that time ? I say nearly two years, because it is quite possible the Upper House may again throw out the Land for Settlements Bill. I think it will be expected, considering the urgency of the case, a special meeting of the House should at once be called to pass the Lands for Settlements Bill, and that sufficient members should be appointed to the Council to enforce that policy which the country has so powerfully endorsed. We cannot afford to run the risk of protracted legislation in the present state of the country, no matter what,' in the payment of members,, the cost may be. I find I am taking up too much of your valuable space, and as I have not said half I wish to say, I hope you will allow me space another week,—l am, &c., Ealing.