THE FARMERS’ UNION.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4366, 25 May 1901, Page 4

THE FARMERS’ UNION.

There is much to be said in favour ofj the movement now being made throughout the northern part of this island to organise agriculturists into what iff styled a Farmers’ Union. Where land gives poorest returns to the cultivator, farmers feel most the need of assistance from each other. It is significant, therefore, in more ways than one, that; tlie initiatory steps to form lao INcw Zealand Farmers’ Union should have been taken in the Auckland province. The movement is growing apace. It' has apparently established itself throughout the Waikato, and several branches are being established in the Poverty Bay district. The organising secretary of the movement has worked his way through the Taranaki province, and has now reached as far south as Otaki, where this week he met with a cordial reception, and succeeded in forming a branch of the union amid considerable enthusiasm. It is quite true that the farmers are at present disorganised. Their interests may have been overlooked at times because of the want of cohesion amongst them. When the farmers moved at all, they moved in sections, such as farmers’ dubs, or sometimes as agricultural associations, but never in a general body whichwould have borne down opposition by the force of its numbers, and brought conviction to wavering politicians by the volume of its votes. If the farmers’ sinterests have been neglected, it is unfair to assume that it was because organised industrial workers demanded more immediate attention. If. however, it can be shown that the trades unions have been too aggressive, and have enforced the passage of enactments to conserve their interests at the expense of the agricultural community, then a Jsew Zealand farmers’ union, in opposition to workers’ unions, may come to be re;®iged as an efficient counterpoise in Se conduct of national affairs.

Without detracting one iota from the laudableness of the desire of the farmers to form a union for their mutual protection and support, it may be pointed out that the interests of the farming community have not been forgotten by the Seddon Administration. We can recall the time when the farmers were sorely distressed because they could get no money for their dairy produce. Even in Taranaki, butter was bartered f6r sugar and tea, and subsequently disposed of at twopence or threepence a pound, when sent by storekeepers to Wellington merchants, to be used in the making of soap. What is the position now? The Government has spent large sums of money in teaching dairy farmers to make butter -it for export to London, where it commands from tenpeuce to a shilling per pound. Under the direction of Government experts, this industry has been raised from the lowest condition to one of pleasure and profit, enabling farmers to free themselves from the incubus cf heavy mortgages. In other branches of agricultural work the Government

hr,:! dollO much to ini prr)V - l.liC coirlt- «>• U-r. farmer. it ehea.iciiei! ... 1.,y I•:.:!« ■’ h.-mling 1.: Ut n j»;j* llt rough whose s;": :i- y loan ;.u , oj' interest hate be“n K'-iv.ii-Ui • „ farmers. it has purchased land for cio.-.er settlement. and 'dies provi- ,!•■<( :I.i outlet ior the rii'tjju-o of •">- mers’ sum;. la various ways it has en couraged and (i-’vekiprd the froacn men iiutn.Uy. hy wb ich farmers obtain hmter prices for the:;’ stock; aad H h.i.», by import lug ivcll-brfd animals i’-Ou: < treat. Uritnin. made an fit on. to improve the breeds of -Mlffi. •’•beep 'herscs it: New /cclcc-i. Vaither, UuGovoni'iicnt he, > foslen d a amentum interest in cprieu!cure among ianners t!imiip; 1 ' Hu f-Hhlh-btn-nt o: a.i Agricultural Departin'nt,the duty of which, nnii'iu;' other (.hint's, has I.ten to spread infornmlio.i on ail farming topics, this department has also imported seeds for di; t rihtil ieu among farmers, with a viev, to i heir inereasiu;; the 'piaic ity end litv of lho>r rvoclucts. .Moreover, tho present Admini.-.iratiou has so ultmvil Tho iaeideiiec of taxation that the small and :nodeic;le fencer s couti ibid ion to the Siato has been con- ■ id:'i - ahdy reduced. Ju the face of ail that lias hee;i dose ior tho agrie'i:ttwist, i‘< is wioue; to assert that the farm' r..’ interests have Ween altogether Tiojdec 1 ed, or that iln- trades unionists ha ve ii!oiiopoiised ii’.e Governments attention. ■f'l.., Karriers' Union start ; with the i'c.‘ ■ riiii’iai-inn Uiit it, will recognise no party in I'oldies, and Unit al! parly politic:; will lie omitted from its dcj;i orations and 'Jjsmvsieim, That, howover,- is hut one of those good intentions which will lie easily east aside hv an organised body of men, whose primary object is opposition to trades unionists, and, who-e principal political pdauk is fieelrcde. !T enur/e, as Mr Glass observes. " It will ho utterly impossible to keep polities out of their de-TU-'-'isss. lire the (iovermnent controlled the labour market, the railv/avs. Ih c lands and I lie post anci telegraph olilces.’’ Therefore, in so far as tho policy of any Government is inimical to the interests of agriculturists, wo may f spent the Farmer:'.' I nion to enter its protest, and point out in'no uncertain manner what course Government procedure should take to guard its interests. This is exactly what trades unions have done, and the farmers, therefore, are copying the methods of those whom they look upon as their “ natural enemies.” Tho usefulness of the Farmers’ Union will be exhibited not in detracting from other organisations, but in pursuing a policy that will lead it to secure such advantages from the State as will enable its members individually and collectively to make greater progress under improved conditions, and thereby advance tho well-being of tho community. It is to ho feared that the adoption of froct rado as the principal plank in tho platform of the Fanners’ ['nion will prove a stumbling-block in the way of its success. Farmers, generally, are not short-sighted. Although they know that frcctrado would be best for them, ilioy also realise that if all imports were free, tho revenue raised now by way -of Customs duties would have to be obtained .somehow, and the abolition, c-f land tax exemption and an increase of the land tax itself would offer the crudest moans of raising the necessary revenue for tho administration of she State. The Government has lessened the cost of living by reducing Customs duties on various commodities, and will jvvoh'ihly make further reductions., but farmer.! cannot expect absolute freetrade unless they are prepared to increase their land taxation. The formation of the Farmers’ Union will, nov/ever, enable ns to discover the mind of the agricultural community, and wo have no doubt that its annual convocations will supply some “light and leading” to our Parliamentarians, and enable it to exercise some influence in the councils of tho State.