Farmers and Direct Action

Manawatu Times, Volume 70, Issue 269, 14 November 1945, Page 5

Farmers and Direct Action

(To the Editor.) Sir, —During the last few weeks we have been reading of various meetings of farmers making protests against the abolition of the country quota. A number of them have even suggested direct action. One at Wanganui deprecated this and suggested the constitutional method. Well, let us see what direct action has done in the past. A short time ago the Sydney milk suppliers took action to raise tho price of their milk and in spite of all sorts of threats they got it. Take the war period in this country. A couple of years back we had the Waikato miners taking action, and in spite of Messrs Sullivan and Semple threatening to bring the law down on them the Ministers finally did what the miners told them to. The same has occurred on the West Coast and Otago. According to the Government, under .State control there would be no strikes, but what about the stoppages in the •State mines? The timber workers threatened direct action unless they got an extra ration of butter, and did they get it? I’ll say they did. So we see that if we have a strong labour union all we have to do is to stick our toes iu and we get what we want. But these were all strong labour unions whose vote would be 95 per cent, for the Government and the Government ■ dare not lose thoso votes. Now tho farmers are about 90 per cent. National voters and we will get a different picture. We will see, if the farmers take direct action, that the Government will uso the extreme weight of tho law and any other method which suggests itself to it because it has no votes to lose by crucifying the farmer. If complete direct action is taken by the 90 000 producers, sheep, dairy, and wheat/we will have a dreadful thing forced on us by the Government forcing this Bill through Parliament. Miners may strike and wo get no coal, but we scramble through All transport workers may strike, and we still scramble through. But the farmers produce our food and there is no way of doing without it and it will be a major disaster if this occurs through the Government’s action. I do not think the farmers are as well organised as the labour unions, but this dictator method now being used has brought them all together. I thmk that all the farmers want is to get the impending legislation re the bank and quota postponed and let the 1946 election be fought on it. Even the labour voters say the Government is trying to save its own hide. Let ns see what the direct action threat will do and what the , Government will do.—l am, ete^