THE FARMERS' CONFERENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13193, 2 June 1906, Page 4

THE FARMERS' CONFERENCE.

The provincial conference of the Farmers' Union, which concluded yesterday, was a marked improvement upon any that- have preceded it, being not only better attended, but exhibiting a broader and more practical spirit. -> Too much time has often been wasted at these conferences in discussing petty questions, but the recent .one generally conlined its attention to important national matters, very properly ignoring those of merely local interest. One of the special features of the gathering was the discussion regarding the strengthening of the union, which, as was pointed out, is an essential preliminary to the securing of adequate public influence to the agricultural community. There are 90,000 farmers in the colony, 14,000 of them in the province of Auckland, and it would be absurd to say that their influence upon the national legislation in any way corresponds to their numerical, industrial, •'or economic importance. They must ; not only organise, but must take an 'active and intelligent , interest in their organisation if they expect to be treated on an equality with the very much smaller number of men whose trades unions wield such remarkable political and legislative influence.! In this connection the practically unanimous ' resolution that " farmers should give more attention to politics," is noticeable. If the members , of the Union take the advice given them by one of the speakers and put individual energy and persistence into the canvass for more members and into the work or educating the country districts on the purposes of the organisation, an enormous development is certain in the near future, and no further fear need be entertained of legislative indifference to agricultural requirements. Until their ranks are thus recruited, and their : legitimate claims thus secure of consideration, no farmers' conference can be more than educative. To this extent the conference of 1906 has been a decided success, and gives us cause to anticipate thai; the gathering of 1907 will be found literally as well as figuratively representative of the farming population. Any such representative body would be the most important that could meet in Auckland, for after we have said all hatcan be said for gum, gold, kerosene, timber, and any other natural source of wealth, the fact remains that the greatest, the most widely used, and the most permanent source of all wealth is the cultivation of the land. . - 1