FARMERS' UNION AND POLITICS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18730, 9 June 1924, Page 5

FARMERS' UNION AND POLITICS.

—From the tenor of his letter I judge that Mr. Frank Hull is a city dweller, and therefore like his kind, prefers to view farmers' politics, affairs and handicaps through the large end- of the telescope. This process ■ - fictitious distance and, as you know, "cows afar off have long horns," so the danger to the farmer as seen by our friend is chimerical. I use the word "friend" advisedly, for I feel sure that, 'in writing, Mr. Hull, offered his opinion in quite good faith. . Let Mr. Hull but reverse the telescope and adjust it, very accurately, before viewing tho farmers' position in'the national scale, or even better, let him come , and gain inside knowledge, then, instead of - scoffing he will remain to pray. Mr. Hull infers (I take it I that the house should not be divided against itself. I concur, but ulease lay the blame for division on the ■ rightshoulders. ' Reform, Liberals, and now Labour have all broken away, and the original House, viz., the- Farming Coinmunity, is now having to fortify itself and reconstruct to save itself (and incidentally the breakaways) from annihilation. As to old counsellors' - wisdom and probity—! don't probe Scripture too far. Let our friend be frank in nature as well as - name let him com© to visit the executive by arrangement between June 10 and 15, and I feel sure he will return a sadder and wiser convert to ' farmers'; politics. • Fred,. C. S. Lawsox.

Sir, Mr. Munro's last letter is quite misleading. It is chiefly devoted to criticism of the Advances to Settlers, as now administered and, for a man as "wiso" as Mr. Munro suggests that he is, it is woefully inaccurate and incomplete. He quotes figures only up to March 31, 1923, and is no doubt intentionally silent about-' the figures of the period from then until now, which are somewhat as follows. Since August, 1923, the department has paid out £7,055,916 to 8117, borrowers, the major portion of it being at 4£ per cent. A further £1,207,521 has been authorised to 1756 borrowers, and will be paid over within the next two or three months. Then there is ,000,000 available for the ensuing 12 months, or £250,000 per ■ month! I venture to say that nothing like this has ever been attempted by any previous Government in the history of this Dominion. 1 have not the exact figures, but half, at any rate, of this money has gone, ; nd -is goimr. to farmers. This amount of money going into circulation has undoubtedly • done an immense amount of good to the general public, as well «s brinciri"- ere at relief to the actual hoirews." Mr. Monro claims th.t.<l.o Government would not have extended the operations of the State Advances Department but for pressure being brought to bear by the Farmers' Union. This claim is quite contrary to fact. I, personally, tried my utmost to persuade Messrs. Ross and Coxbeck to get the Auckland execui tive to bring pressure to bear in that I direction, and both gentlemen absolutely | turned it down, saying that the union ! was out for an agricultural ban!', and did not want any enlargement of State advances as what they could lend would merely be a "drop in the ocean." In a previous letter Mr. Munro taunted me with "sticking on my farm" and "chewing things over," and not going about among my fellow farmers, etc." Well, it's not "a. bad thing for anyone to "stick" to their own business and "mind it we'll, whether it, be farming or any other business. However, at the time the statement was made I was away from my farm on a month's vacation, which, was spent at Thames \ alley and Waikato, and included a visit to the Waikato Winter Show, also to stud stock sales, etc., and, inter alia, by special request, I attended the annual meeting of a branch of the union, at which every member present expressed -.heir strong objection to the present political action of the executive. I met and conversed with numbers of farmers, stockbreeders, etc., and one and all expressed themselves as entirely of my way of thinking in regard to the political action of : the union. One of the oldest and best-known farmers in this province, also one of the oldest members of the union, stated emphatically that he was convinced the selfish political ambitions of those chiefly concerned was at the root of the whole thing.. As to the suggested weakness of State - advances through changing Governments, the reply is : Farmers unite •to keep ; the Massey Government in! G. H. MELLSor. [ Clovedoa.: