LABOUR COLUMN.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIV, Issue 16326, 23 August 1913, Page 16

LABOUR COLUMN.

(By D. G. SULLIVAN.) TRADES AND LABOUR COUNCIL HALL. Meetings for week ending Friday, August 23, 1013: Saturday, August. 23.—Freezing Works Committee; Boilermakers' Union, Special Meeting. Sunday, August 34.—Public Lecture in Social Hail, at 7 p.m. Monday, August 23.—Painters' Union; Cycle Workers’ Union; Saddlers’ and Collarmakers’ Union; Labour representation Committee. Tuosday, August 2G. —Gilby’s College Old Girls Annual Gathering in Social Hall. Wednesday. August 27—Canterbury Carpenters’ Union; Bootmakers’ Union; Electrical Workers’ Union; Plasterers’ Union. Thursday, August 23.—Trades Council and Executive Committee. Friday, August 29.—Amalgamated Society of Engineers’ Union; Canterbury Drivers’ Union. Summoned Meeting; Brick, Tile nnd Clay Workers’ Union; Brewers and Maltsters' Union. LABOUR AND THE FARMER. It has been stated, I think by Professor Mills, that in tho recent Grey election a largo farmers’ voto was polled in favour of tho Labour< candidate. It is not the first occasion in this country that a Labourite has boon returned to Parliament with tho assistance of a rural vote, Mr John Robertson, tho Labour member for Otaki, also having won his seat at tho last general election with tho support of tho farmers. Still, it would bo idlo to deny that there exists in the country districts a vast, amount of prejudice against the Labour movement a prejudice that is vigorously fostered by the writers and speakers of that extremely Conservative organisation, the Farmers’ Union. That organisation professes to speak on behalf of the whole body of farmers, but in reality it represents only an insignificant proportion of tbeir number, very few of whom can bo called “ small men,” and were its statements on tho question the only evidence availablo it would not bo worthy of serious attention. But those Labourites who have gono through a Parliamentary campaign in a country district know that the prejudico of which I speak is a concrete fact. That, being so, it is natural to assume that such prejudico is based upon a fear that tho material interests of the farmer would suffer by the carrying out of tho Labour policy, and if our movement can show that that is a mistaken idea- wo are justified m assuming that tho farmers, as intelligent men, will revise their attitude. EXPLOITED FARMERS.

During my own campaign in the Ricenrton electorate at tho last general election I spoko in favour of fixing a minimum wage by legislation, and I quoted tho miserable sums now being earned by some classes of workers. On several occasions I was indignantly informed by farmers that while I was advocating this reform for tho workers there were thousands of small farmers in tho country who were not earning anything like £3 por week. I have no doubt that tho statement is quite true, and that the lives of many of our small farmers are lives of dreary drudgery, long hours and poor remuneration for tho services they render to society. But, that being" so, what moro substantial argument can I advance as a reason wliy the farmers should reconsider their political affiliation? If tho host that Liberalism or Conservatism j can _do for them in one of tho most ; fertile, countries of tho world is to put them in the wa.y of earning with much Labour a more pittance, surely it is time they gave serious consideration to the question. If tlioy will do that instead of taking their polities cooked and ready for consumption from that i portion of tho newspaper Press that is | owned by and controlled in the in- ' torcsts of the land monopolists, they ; will discover that Labour can and will , givo them better terms than the best j they have been able to gel? from tho ’ old parties. ' DOUBTING THOMAS. I have no doubt that most farmers reading these lines will mentally exclaim, “That cannot bo; you Labour-| ites propeso to increase the taxation on { unimproved land values, and also to force us to pay moro wages to labour \ wo employ.” It is true wo propose to J increase the taxation on unimproved . land values. It is true wo insist on bettor conditions for tho farm workers, • and it may nob bo out of place to state hero that in nearly every civilised coun- i try in the world at the present time tho ! farm workers aro organising with the help of outside friends—both within and ; without the Labour movement —and in j both England and Scotland they have forced concessions from the employers. But what Labour will take from the t farmer .with one hand it will give back to him in larger measure with the other. An increase in tho land tax would cost the small farmer very little indoed. for j tho_ obvious reason that ho is not in j possession of tho taxable values. Tho J man who will have to pay is tho owner j of large values in town and country. LABOUR POLICY. I

Tn return for the small increased contribution that the average farmer may ho called upon to pay by way of increased taxation upon unimproved land values, Labour proposes to givo him cheaper land for his sons, cl icaper railway freights and fares, cheaper coastal transport, and cheaper farm, and household requirements. To-day the farmer’s son in search of land must got away into the backblocks, far from road and railway, nnd live like a licrmit in misery. And the reason ho must do that is because no Government in this country, Liberal or Conservative, lias bad tho courage to impose a land tax that would bo effective in breaking up the fat fertile lands still held by tbo descendants of gridironers. Labour would havo less regard for the feelings of these, latter gentlemen, and would uso the increased income derived from such a tax to reduce railway freights and fares. It would acquire coastal vessels and free the farmers from tho heavy taxation now imposed upon them by the all-powerful transport monopoly, as the Labour Government did in Western Australia. It would nationalise tlio banking service, using tho profits to reduce the rate of interest, nnd would save thousands of pounds to tbo farmers by tho establishment of State industries that would supply them with homo and farm requirements at a price reduced by tho elimination of the profit item. When given tho opportunity, Labour would do these and other tilings, such as nationalising tbo distributing service and benefiting both tbo farmer in tbo country and tlie people in tbo city. Labour will get that opportunity when tbo farmer awakens, as ho inevitably will do, to tho fact that bis placo in tho economic and political struggle is alongside tbo muchmaligned wage-earner. 1988