FARMERS' STANDPOINT

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11522, 18 May 1923, Page 4

FARMERS' STANDPOINT

ON VARIOUS MATTERS TAXATION, EDUCATION, AND DAIRYING. ADDRESS BY AIR 11. MORRISON. (Special to “N.Z. Times.”) -MASTERTON, May 10. “While we in this province are very emphatic that the Fanners’ Union should not enter into party politics, and that wc do not want, a Farmers’ Forty, still it is necessary for ns to touch on political problems that are affecting us fanners, as well as the whole of New Zealand,” declared Mr Hugh Morrison, provincial president, at the annual meeting of the Wairarapa Farmers’ Union to-day. REDUCTION IN TAXATION. “Reduction of taxation ie one of the most important problems that the Government have to face. I went into this matter pretty thoroughly last year nt Wanganui, and it is not my intenr.ion to say much now. I would like to point out that while agreeing with Mr W. D. Hunt that it is necessary and proper that the Government should i educe taxation on companies, the fact must not bo lost sight of that there is no section of the community more heavily taxed than the farmer. In addition to heavy county rates, ho has to face the double tax, of land tax as well as income tax. If we were to back up Mr Hunt’s scheme of reduced company taxation only, and not fight for reduced direct taxation then the politicians would 6ay tho farmers are quite satisfied with a reduction of company taxation, and would still continue to impose on farmers the iniquitous double taxation. Whilo agreeing that farmers would get r.n indirect benefit by a reduction in company taxation, still it is of the Utmost importance that we must fight for the main thing, and that is we should get relief from the direct taxation on farmers.” RURAL WORKERS’ HOAXES. “We hear a lot about housing problems in towns and cities, and we have no doubt that the housing in a big city like Wellington is a serious problem, and one that has to be faced. The solution of the problem, however, is not only in building workers’ homes in cities; why not have rural workers’ homes, by which means wo can bring our workers out of the cities into the country. A man could have ten or twenty acres of land, keep a cow or two, and a garden, and thereby cheapen his cost of living. Most of our workers are being reared in towns and cities. There is the greatest difficulty to get boys and young men to come-Out and work on and the only solution seems to be to real - them in the country.” , He was very pleased to voice tho thanks of members to Sir Walter Buchanan for his magnificent gift. The trend of education in our universities, he said, had been toward: turning out men for the professions, and neglecting the equipping of men in agricultural science to help in our main industry of farming. Sir Walter. Buchanan, as a practical farmer, and knowing the value of scientific research as applied to farming, had now ..given tho opportunity of men being trained to help the farmers to get .increased production. BACKBLOCKS CHILDREN. “The education of children in the backblocks is a vital question. Wo are constantly hearing of farmers and agricultural workers with families having to leave the backblocks, as they cannot get their children educated. This is another reason of the movement of country into towns. The further a man goes info the backblocks, the harder it is for him to got his children educated. I think everyone must agree the biggest asset in a young country like this is the man who goes and develops the backblocks, and yet we find to-day he is penalised in edui cation facilities. We do not ask for the same opportunity as the city child, w'ifch high schools and universities, but we do say most- emphatically that farmers and country workers should get the opportunity of giving their children education up to the sixth standard in a school with a certificated teacher.” THE IMPERIAL CONFERENCE. “It is very important to this country that our Prime Minister, Mr Massey, should go home to the Imperial Conference, which is really ireing to be an economic conference. This is not a party question, it is a matter that should be treated above party. Mr Bruce, the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth, has spoken plainly of the attitude he is going to take up in the matter of trade within tho Empire. On the question of tho meat trado ho stated that “ho would talk plainly to English statesmen on the unreasonable inequalities of trade betweent Australia and Britain. He referred particularly to the Australian meat industry. and the danger of its total disappearance. He said that nothing is being done to preserve rliis great industry. London shops aro stocked with Argentine meat, wbilo Australia is unable to get a footing in the market.” No doubt when Mr Bruce was speaking of the meat trade he was referring chiefly to beef. It is imperative that Mr Massey should bo present to press the claims of the New Zealand producers. The big questions of the defence of the Pacific, trade preference, and other important questions to be discussed at tlio Imperial Conference demand that this Dominion should he represented.” THE DAIRYING INDUSTRY. During tho three months of January, February and March of this year, New Zealand sent to tho Old Country 14,520 tons of cheese as against 7105 tons by all other countries; and 14,875 tons of butter as against 33,281 tons from other countries. New Zealand, therefore, sent to the Homo markets twico as’much cheese au all the other countries put together, and slightly less than half tho butter imported by the old country. While tho above figures may not prove the same for every quarter in the year, it showed the tremendous growth of the cheese industry. Seeing that there was a growing’competition to New Zealand both in tho cheeso and butter markets the establishment of tt dairy produce control board was imperative. The violent fluctuations ol our dairy pioduce on the London market seemed to be caused to a great extent by shipping facilities being such that the market was not kept evenly supplied. The dairy farmers were becoming alive to tho value of tooting their herds and the union had tried to givo them all available information. .Several groupo of farmers in the Wairarapa 'would band themselves together next season in herd-testing associations. UNITY. Mr Morrison, in conclusion, declared:— “I believe that it is more necessary than ever for. farmers to organise and

combine as a body to meet the many problems that are now facing them. Tho boat way wo can do that is by sticking to tho union. It is a fact that if you disbanded this organisation, and other farmers’ organisations, within a week wo would find it neoes sary to reorganise. I know at times wo como in for a certain amount of criticism and porhapa wo make our mistakes, hut it can ho conclusively proved that this organisation baa done lnoro for the farmer than he realises. Wo hava many grievances, such as shipping charges, taxation, and marketing costs, to bo remedied, and tho only possible Way to moot this is by organisation. I would urgo tffo farmers, thc-roforo, to stick to the union and give it tlicir wliole-hcarted support.”