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New Zealand Mail, Issue 1715, 11 January 1905, Page 80 (Supplement)

The executive of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, in a circular to the various branches of the organisation, says:—“The Labour party all over the Commonwealth has made a distinct attack upon producers, and here in our colony a party has been formed and a platform put forward which is a menace to the farming community and opposed to our union. The platform declares, amongst other things, for nationalisation of the industries of the colony. The proposal to establish a. State bank, etc., implies a belief in the efficiency of paper money to add to the wealth of the State. It is opposed to the freehold tenure of the soil, and in favour of harassing the State peasantry by ‘periodical revaluation.’ In the election and constitution of local bodies it advocates the dangerous principle of representation without taxation. It favours the referendum, which would remove all responsibility from our representatives ; advocates the abolition of the Upper House; 'and demands statutory preference to unionists, which strikes at freedom of contract and personal liberty. It is the fear that some of these planks of their platform may be passed which has caused such an unrest amongst the Crown tenants and the desire of many of them to convert their holdings into freeholds.” A call has been given to Mr R. McNaughton, now in America, to succeed the late Rev Mi 1 Miller at the Napiei’ Congregational Church. Air McNaughton Avas formerly in business at Napier, and proceeded to America to take a theological course-