THE COUNTRY PARTY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19140, 5 October 1925, Page 7

THE COUNTRY PARTY.

Sir, —Mr. Frank Ctolbeck's letter having been so ably dealt with in your subleader, leaves s Little for me to reply to, more especially as his letter is mainly an attack on Mr, Coates. As ty Mr." Colbeck's own candidature, few people will tako him seriously. Political sornerss.alters are not. as a rule, popular with electors, and Mr. Colbeck nas sampled most political creeds. First a "single-taxe?," then a disciple of Sir Joseph Ward, later a Reformer, ind now engaged in a senile effort to hat?h cut a new political party, but, unfortunately for him the egg is infertile !, Mr. Monro is plausible, but not convincing. He says the' Country Party is not responsible for the 16 or 17 Labour members now in Parliament. No, but Mr. Mnnro's open support of the Labour candidate at the recent Franklin by-election, and Mr. Duxfield's statement at Ngaruawahia "that the Country Party would assist Labour to turn" the Government out" should clearly show farmers the danger of supporting the Country Party whose statements that they are out for the good of the primary producers is mere camouflage. They are out for their own selfish ends and are using the Farmers" Union to further their own political ends. The present world-wide shipping strike is just a mere hint of what Labour aspires to, and anyone who helps the Labour movement in New Zealand to-day, no matter how indirectly, is an enemy and not a friend, to the primary producer, who is going to suffer very heavily from the strike. In conclusion, if the members of the Country Party are sincere in their desire to establish an agricultural hank, let them do as the Australian farmers have done. Late in 1922 a few of them got together and formed a company to start a bank which was opened in March, 1923, in New boath Wales, with a capital of £40,000. 1 hen; are now 67 branches open; subscribed capital £2,090,000, paid-up capital £269,000, and 8400 shareholders, practiecally all farmers. Loans bv overdraft are made, from £2O to £SOOO, on various forms of security, such as mortgages, stock and # crop liens, guarantees, bills of lading or rail receipts for produce, goods in store or bond, produce ill stock, etc. If the Country Party want a bank then let them get to it and establish a bank and never mind about politics, which are no use to a bank. C. H. Meixsof.