The New Zealand Times. SATURDAY, JULY 30, 1921. FARMERS IN COUNCIL

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10966, 30 July 1921, Page 6

The New Zealand Times. SATURDAY, JULY 30, 1921. FARMERS IN COUNCIL

Every man, the topsy-turvydom rhymester declares, born alive is either a Libera l or a Conservative. There is much truth in what ho said, as every student of politics knows by experience of political currents. But tho flow of these is not always true to source. Tho effect of agriculture, for example, in the direction of the current may be doggerelised into:

Every one who goes on a farm Becomes Conservative for fear of harm. The truth, of this is shown by the fact that many small farmers, perhaps most of them, who owe their farms to the land policy of the Liberals of the Ballance, Seddon, and McKenzie leadership, are very, staunch Reformers at the present day. This, together with the fidelity of the larger landed interests to the rule of the topsy-turvy rhymester, who spoke so much truth by the mouth of topsy-turvydom, seems ,to establish another truth, namely, that the dominating' passion of all farmers, great and small, is fear of change. Without entirely accepting this fundamental idea, for which there is much to be said—more particularly concerning the uncertainties of rural problems—one may feel somewhat surprised that a discussion was raised at the Farmers’ Conference over the question of forming a Farmers’ Political Party. But the surprise does not continue when one sees that the originating proposal was strongly turned aside. Tho discussion, together with tho whole course of the conference proceedings, proves that farmers are very much alive to their own particular interests, and are learning the lesson set by other interests in tho community of the force of co-operation for reaching definite ends. As they are the producers v. hose output is almost the sole basis of the country’s financial well-being, there is no ground of objection to their co-operative aims so Jong as they are reasonable. After all, the discussions of the conference seem to indicate that whatever tho natural political proclivities of the farming interests may be, their active political sympathy will be for the party which will give their interests the most reasonable active support. At all events, one gets tho impression that if this tendency ever comes into conflict with any attempt to hold by the hard-and-fast rule of the dominating factors above-mentioned, there may he a rude shock, with far-reaching consequences. Moreover, tho farmers know

quite well, whatever their poll tica I likings may be, that the farming interest owes far more to the Liberal Government of nearly two decades than to any other. For the present, the representatives of the farmers showed that they have no time for abstract polities. They aro too much concerned with the uncertainties, lately much developed, of the various problems which have to be solved if they are to enjoy security for tlieir living and well-being. The problem moving them most is, first and foremost, the problem of the poetwar situation which is playing disastrous havoc with most of their lines of production. The effects of this, in fact, give a special sting to all the other problems which, coming on the heels of the first and greatest, per.plex them not a little. Cast down from the heights of prosperity suddenly, they gaze from the Slough of Despond with considerable resentment at the factors of their downfall. They cry, at the outset, against the heavy taxa-' tion which they endured when it was levied on their prosperity. The point should worry the Finance Ministei more than it agonises them, hut that they will see, no doubt,. presently. In the meantime, they demand retrenchment in the'Public Service, and here they have the public with them, though not in all the tilings said during the discussion. The desolating action of the meat trusts finds them protesting vigorously, and ' in their protests there is, let it be said to their credit, a constructive policy of establishing co-operative retail trade depots in distant markets, to follow the drastic treatment they would like to bee awarded by law to the common enemy. Transport gives them a problem to handle, and they handled it also with some conservative .energy, discussing and studying the establishment of shipping transport, of their ownership and control, with or without State aid, as the case may be. It will, take a good deal of study to eliminate some of the main causes of tho dearness of shipping transport, which threatens to swallow whatever the trusts may leave of the value of their products'. Herein farmers have the sympathy of all their fellow-citizens, hut that will not do them nearly so much good as a betterment in the world’s situation. That requires patience, and as the farmers are handling their remedial problem with the caution which prevents ruehing into dangerous enterprise, there is no need for words of warning. If there is no possible word of consolation besides the reference to poesible betterment of conditions, we- are sorry. Nevertheless, it is possible to 6peak words of admiration. The sight of the representatives of a great interest, the greatest of the Dominion, hard hit by sudden misfortune, discussing its serious situation, not only without panic, but in a spirit of constructive, enterprise, is very. inspiriting and uplifting. The most careless onlooker can realise that the spirit of sturdy self-reliance with which the* old pioneers started this country, on 'the road to greatness, is with the men who, following in the footsteps of those pioneers, are supplying for the country the wealth necessary for comfortable life and rapid progress. They indulge in no recriminations; they ask for no largesse' from an inexhaustible public purse; they demand no exceptional treatment. They do the grinning and bearing displayed by their fathers in conquering the wilderness. They study facts and conditions on which to make business propositions; and they recognise that if these propositions should require State aifc, it I must only be temporary—only for the purpose of tiding over abnormal difficulties. .Above all, they see that co- | operation is the secret of strength, and they are preparing to co-operate. What more can be said ? Only this, that when the world has been re-estab-lished, and New Zealand is moving briskly ahead, as of old, it will he said that the farmers of the country met the situation like men, and did good work accordingly.