Manawatu Evening Standard. SATURDAY, JULY 17, 1937. FARMERS AND POLITICS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 194, 17 July 1937, Page 8

Manawatu Evening Standard. SATURDAY, JULY 17, 1937. FARMERS AND POLITICS.

The formation of a Farmers’ Political Party is a subject which the Farmers’ Union has discussed at intervals for many years past, but always it has resolved to remain aloof from party politics, reserving the right to criticise measures brought forward by the Administration of the day. The subject was again introduced by the president (Mr W. AY. Mulholland) at the conference this week, and gave rise to a most interesting discussion, the theme of which was not to disturb the present position. “The intricacies and difficulties of the situation to-day demand that the Uunion shall, within the next twelvo months, seriously consider its relation to politics,’’ said Mr Mulholland, who discussed as possible alternatives to the union’s present policy the formation of a Farmers’ Political Party or affiliation with the National Party. The Farmers’ Union having “always been intensely political’’ it was only natural that the present Government’s legislation with its severe impact on rural industries should be examined by the president, who found it necessary to look at the political situation frankly.. His view is that the Government lias not committed any definitely socialistic act in the true sense, but “it is of extreme significance that probably its most powerful supporting organisation, the National Labour Federation, has as the central plank in its platform the socialisation (the common ownership and control) of the means and instruments of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth.” In Mr Mulholland's opinion the measures passed are all quite compatible with a progressive policy based on individual ownership ; nevertheless, many of them are of “such a nature that they could be used with little, if any, alteration for the introduction of Socialism.” Should that happen, then the president declares that a non-party attitude would admittedly be difficult. But a Farmers’ Party, it was recognised, could not count on the support of all its members. Some undoubtedly would support as they did in 1935 the Labour Party, many more would give their allegiance to the National Party, so that at the most a Farmers’ Party could only hold the balance of power. After weighing the advantage this would give Mr Mulholland concluded with the view that a nonparty attitude enables the farmers to exert more influence on political policies. That view is in keeping with the traditions of the union on the subject, and the weight of opinion at the conference endorsed it, for the plank

in the platform adopted on the recommendation of the responsible committee 'places principle before party and declares that the Union supports no political organisation, but reserves the right to criticise the legislation of any political party. It cannot be said that rural industries did not receive the most liberal treatment from the Reform Administration during its long tenure of office, and again from the National Government when the difficult years of the trade depression were being faced. To form a Farmers’ Party would mean splitting the vote to some extent against the Government at the next election, and possibly continuing a situation the Union fears—as many others do—will result in extreme Socialism. A sound organisation to resist this as much as possible is the choice of the Union.