CANADIAN FARMERS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7447, 23 May 1911, Page 2

CANADIAN FARMERS

WHY THEY ARE ORGANISED. Canadian farmers are plot merely making their combined influence ielt on the Pai Lament at Ottawa, but,- as recent debates have shown, in the British House of Commons also. The more interest therefore attaches to Mr George Fisher Chipman’s account, in the “Canadian Magazine,” of organisation, education, and co-operation among the farmers of Western Canada.- He says that in tho province of Manitoba there are to-day 200 local Grain Growers’ Associations, in Saskatchewan 350, in Alberta 2CO. Each local union holds meetings either monthly or semi-monthly. Every year an annual convention is held in each province, where from five to six hundred delegates assemble. Farmers’ parlia-, meuts meet this winter at Brandon, Ro-t gina, and Calgary. Each central office of the provincial association supplies information. The Saskatchewan Association has inaugurated a life membership scheme at twelve dollars a year, aid the funds are lent on farm uioitgagch to supply a permanent fund. An independent journal was needed, aud the “Grain Growers’ Guide” was started as a monthly in June, 1908, and ias succeeded so well that it a. year lai.-r became a weekly paper. ‘lt is-the u) y paper in Canada owned, controlled,- and edited by farmers for farmers." Political combination has convinced the farmers of the value of economic co iperation. They are considering how u,r they can enter the commercial lines where they will. bnv their produce and distri-i bute the profits amongst them-eives. Cooperative stores among the farmers have been begun at Red Deer, Sinralnta, aidseveral other places in. the IV .astern-pro-vinces. “The present-co-operative scheme will widen out till it embraces every portion of the West." , Unused land lies along the railroaos by tens of miles, while beyond it far-, mers are working for a living. This unused land is purposely I-cid out cf use by. speculators. While the Janners work, "they. enhance the price ;c£ flic vacant land' between their farms and the railroad, and yet the farmers get ,not a cent from the unearned *ncieuient of the vacant land: * r There strong feeling that some ; of the principles of the Lloyd George Budget should be put into effect upon the Western pr&jrw-s; the vacant land would then he piu lutu. nee. It would pay to have land worked, whereas now it pays to keep it idle.