FARMERS AND POLITICS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19027, 26 May 1925, Page 10

FARMERS AND POLITICS.

A UNITED FRONT URGED. MAKING THEIR POWER FELT. The political situation is discussed by the president of the Auckland Farmers' TJniou,. Mr. A. E. Harding, in his annual report, which will ho presented at the opening of the provincial conference todav. "The death of Mr. Massey," lie says, "loaves a blank in the ranks of political leaders that will be hard lo fill. The part of our union is to help lill the vacant place bv doing what it can to secure the appointment of the very best man available. Tt is greatly to he regretted I hat our union does not present a united front on this matter. Still,'in spite of the fact that maijy members of our union are opposed to its taking a more active part in polities, the union can at present be a great force for the good government of the Dominion. And I venture to say that, in tlie near future we shall exercise a still more potent influence. f am led to this conclusion bv the fact that farmers arc joining up with the union in increasing numbers and oil a more permanent, basis than formerly. "As we grow in numbers the members' will feel their strength, and will not he satisfied to remain in their present unsatisfactory position'. Under the present system all other sections of the community can get relief from their burden of taxation by passing it on to someone else, and finally the primary producer has to shoulder the lot. We have to sell our output at the world's parity, but we have to buy at world's parity pi its all sorts of crushing imposts through customs and other vicious forms of protection that, so raise the cost of production that little is left to the fanner in the final result."