Farmers Must Take Political Action to Preserve Industry

Northern Advocate, 12 July 1939, Page 7

Farmers Must Take Political Action to Preserve Industry

-F.U. PRESIDENT [Special to “Northern Advocate ”] WELLINGTON, Tuesday. » PESSIMISTIC VIEW OF THE PROSPECTS OF FARMERS IN NEW ZEALAND WAS TAKEN BY MR W. W. MULHOLLAND, PRESIDENT OF THE NEW ZEALAND FARMERS’ UNION, AT THE DOMINION CONFERENCE TODAY.

Concluding a lengthy address to delegates, he stated that farmers were feeling today that they were face to face with a growing menace. They were feeling the pressure of rising costs, and they saw the results of a lifetime of frugality and effort melting into nothingness.

“Farmers are now hearing strange doctrines extolling extravagance, sloth, and irresponsibility,” he continued. “They learn that exports are unimportant, and that a jazz band gets more for a night’s fiddling than many a farmer can make in weeks of hard work, and they know it is all wrong.

Farmers Looking to Union.

“Today, farmers are looking to us for action. The welfare of our country depends largely on the wisdom and sanity displayed by the organised farmers of New Zealand in the next year or two. It is a great responsibility that rests upon us. We accept that responsibility.” Need for Country Party.

gai'dless from its ultimate- effects,” Mr Mulholland concluded. “We have seen big business interests doing their utmost to kill farmers’ co-operative movements, and making use of their political influence for that purpose. Farmers’ Alternatives. “The farmers cannot afford to allow the Government to be under the control of either of these two extrema, groups. The question at issue is: Can farmers more effectively prevent them becoming masters of the situation by being inside the two existing parties, or by establishing or supporting an independent third party?”

The political situation today was one that required serious thought on the part of farmers, said Mr Mulholland. So far as representation in Parliament was concerned, the two political parties were at present almost clear-cut-town v. country. It was claimed by some that there was, in fact, now a Country Party in existence. It was found that the Labour Party, which contained a number of farmers, had an element in it which, if not actively opposed to the farmers, at all events was regardless of their interests. The aim of this section was complete State control of everything, if not Communism. It was worthy of note that both the mover and the seconder of the Address-in-Reply in the present session of Parliament avowed themselves strong advocates of State ownership and control of the means of production, distribution and exchange. Mr Nash Handicapped,

It was perhaps also significant that Mr Nash’s efforts to stabilise costs to prevent the farming industry from being crushed out of existence had been met by protests and strikes against the awards of the Ai’bitration Court in many important directions. It was not without significance that someone was able to prevent the Hon. Mr Fraser from carrying out his intention of having an inquiry into the disgraceful situation which existed on the waterfront. It was apparent that a section which was entirely unsympathetic towards all the aims and aspirations of the farmers could exert a great influence on the decisions of the present Government. Conservatives Suspect. “On the other hand, it is not unknown nor unnoticed that extreme Conservative elements, particularly important people in the financial world, have in the past been able to exercise an entirely disproportionate influence on the policy and action of previous Governments,’’ he said. “At the present time they have, partly through fear of the consequences of Socialism upon themselves, partly because they have been unsuccessful in retaining control, allowed the National Party to adopt a policy which parallels in many respects the policy of the Farmers’ Union. While the National Party remains in Opposition, its policy is not of immediate importance to those people. But it is well known that they are planning to obtain such control as would enable them, should the National Party become the Govexaxment, to force upon that Government actions and policies which are not at all consistent with the Farmers’ Union policy.

Manufacturers Attacked.

“We have some manufacturers today Supporting exchange control because it frees them from competition, re-