MR YORK AND FARMERS’ UNION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 20 January 1939, Page 3

MR YORK AND FARMERS’ UNION

[To Tbe Editor) Sir,—ln your issue of 17th January, there appears a letter from the Ngatimoti Branch of the Farmers’ Union, signed by Messrs Stevens and Llewellin objecting to my statements (which were substantial, ly true) concerning the Farmers’ Unions’ claim to represent the majority of the farmers in the Dominion, and to prove my contention I want no other evidence than the statements of Messrs Llewellin and Stevens. Mr R. W. S. Stevens speaking at a social evening of the Farmers’ Union held at Ngatimoti last September is reported (24th September) to have said Ihe Farmers’ Union to-day counted over 30,000 members. This number however, only represented about half the farmers of New Zealand, about 80,000 m all.” Mr R. W. S. Stevens in his letter dated the 14th January, in conjunction with Mr D. I. Llewellin makes the following statement : 4 A reference to the figures dealing with the membership of the union shows that fully financial members total 24,(XX) and its numbers are continually and rapidly increasing., This fact alone will correst the impression which seems to be held by some sections of the general public that the Farmers’ Union does not truly represent the voice of farmers.” It will be seen if Mr Stevens’s own figures are analysed according to his own statements that between the 24th September, 1938 and the 14th January, 1939, a little over three months, the farmers union membership has decreased by 6,000 and if the union continues to function in the light of Mr Stevens’s figures in tw'o years it will be non-existent.

Messrs Stevens and Llewellin make the following statement concerning myself. “We feel sure that Mr York would have been well advised to have made sure of his facts which he well knows would receive publicity through the press.” In the light of Messrs Stevens’s and Mr Llewellin’s own inaccuracies and shocking display of ignorance of their own union’s strength and functions I would say that the advice offered to the writer definitely applies to themselves

I’or those gentlemen’s advice according to the most reliable source there are 87,000 farmers in New Zealand and accepting Messrs Stevens's and Llewellin’s figures that 24,000 belong to the union proves my statement as reported on December 16th, 1938, that the union only represented about one quarter of the farmers’ of the Dominion. 1 hese gentlemen take strong exception to my asking the question as to how many were present at the meeting in Dovedale which passed the motion of protest and surely I am entitled to know? Messrs Stevens and Llewellin state that there are 45 members in the Ngatimoti Branch. Will they inform us where the boundaries extend t oin order to get their members? It will be sen, Sir.th at these gentlemen have not proved their case and by the jumble of figures have only got themselves into deeper water. They accuse me of making remarks to disparage the Farmers’ Union. This 1 did not do. I stated a plain fact. That’s all, and facts sometimes hurt.—l am etc., R. J*. L. YORK. Motueka, 18tli January.