The Marlborough Express PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 1906. THE FARMERS' UNION.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXIX, Issue 134, 9 June 1906, Page 2

The Marlborough Express PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 1906. THE FARMERS' UNION.

The past week or so has been distinguished by conferences of farmers in different parts of the Colony, and it is easy to gather from the results that ■ the •members of the agricultural arid pastoral callings are becoming more and more alive to the need for intercommunication and joint action, v It is true that at no previous time in the history of the Colony have; the rural been so carefully looked after by the Government as they are now, • but it should be borne in mind that some, at least, of the credit" for the changed order belongs to the farmers themselves. It was the awakening of the latter that gave Ministers the. encouragement they sought, and by the aid of which they have been able to go so far and do so much. It is the special merit of the Ballance-Seddon Administration that it has facilitated the progress of every national movement which discovered indications of true vitality, and nowhere has better and more enduring work been done than in connection with farming, in all its diverse manifestations. The most inveterate enemies of the present Go- . vernment have come at length to'acknowledge this, and. we find everywhere extant a lively appreciation of the current policy. But, hi the enjoyment of the fruits of past endeavour, the farmer is somewhat apt to forget that'he himself plays a most important part in the combination necessary to continued wellrdoing. There is a cla*ss of people who regard the State as Providence, but who do not seem to realise the meaning of the proverb that links Pro-, vidence with self-help. The Government is not an indulgent parent, or a giver of alms, but simply an active, and, when occasion demands, a liberal business partner, and the more widely and surely this is recognised the better it will be for all concerned.

Union is necessary for the-farmer, not as some '"advanced" persons argue, in order that the "country" should be able to fight the "towns," though there are occasions when these interests are brought into conflict; union should be regarded, not as a weapon of party warfare, but as a means for increasing the social, educational, and even intellectual, as well as the material interests of the farmer. There ought not to be in this country a Town Party, with one. distinct line of public policy, and a Country Party with another. The interests of both are so intimately bound up as to be one in all "essential particulars. We have seen how in numerous instances, in the North Island the growth .of the town centres, has been in a direct ratio with the extension of the dairying industry, and in Marlborough the interdependence of town and country is exhibited in the plainest manner. There are many cogent reasons, apart from politics, why the farmers should be closely associated with one another. Though we have made enormous strides in the work of improving agricultural methods, the class of produce, and the breed of stock, there is ample room for progress left. Year after year the exparts of the Agricultural Department, men whose hearts are in their Avork, are urging reforms in various directions, and these cannot be attempted by individuals with much hope of success. It is only by large concerted movements that the Colony can benefit.

Of the total exports of New Zealand, which last year were valued at about £15,000,000, the rural industries contributed £12,000,000. A trade of that dimensions is worth looking after, and the farmers must take their full share of the work. We have in a previous issue pointed out what the Government has done to promote our oxport business, by enlarging,.the area of production, improving the quality of the article exported, and extending the markets for its reception. What share the farmer must take has been made perfectly clear time after time, and, as we have already said, the evidences of the past week indicate that the farmer is not unmindful of hi* obligations. He has fully subscribed to the doctrine of unity, but he has not subscribed liberally to the union funds. This, by all accounts, is where lie lias failed. The executives of all the organisations complain of the want of cash, and the farmer this year cannot plead inability. Money is found for every object under the sun, from cataclysmal disasters to personal compliments, but when it comes to the most important question of all, involving the most vital interests, the pocket is buttoned up. This year the Colonial Union has again made special refi.'rence to the subject, as will be seen from the extracts printed on another part of this isue, and it is to be hoped the appeal will meet with a generous response.