THE FARMERS’ UNION AND PARTY POLITICS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22807, 17 February 1936, Page 7

THE FARMERS’ UNION AND PARTY POLITICS

TO THE EDITOR

Sir, —I notice from your report of the recent conference of the Otago Provincial Executive of the Farmers’ Union that a remit from the Milton branch deprecated controversy on Farmers’ Union questions of interest in the public press, and asserted that opportunities are afforded at “ every annual provincial conference ” for discussion of such matters. Had the authors of the remit consulted or perused the agenda of past conferences they would have realised how inaccurate and wide of the facts they were. I have attended as a looker-on or a a a delegate some half-dozen annual conferences, and always found the order paper so crowded and time so limited that resolutions bearing on remits from branches have to be rushed through at a rate that makes reasoned consideration impossible, and results in the emasculation or stultification of remits of importance, as witness, at last winter s conference, the treatment accorded to the remit from Clutha dealing with the constitution of the Supreme Council of Agriculture, and the dual position of members of the executive as salaried or emolu-ment-receiving appointees of the Government. “No man can serve two masters is as true to-day as when it was first uttered. And whilst members of the executive make use of their position to air their private opinions in the name of the Farmers’ Union, the public press is the only corrective. I would ask Mr R. J. E. Smith whence he derived authority to embrace the membership of the Farmers' Union in his expression qf opinion concerning ‘ those guns? ” The members of the union have not authorised him to express their opinion on a question that really concerns the citizens of Dunedin alone. There again we find the union members, without the clightest intimation or reference to their opinions on the question, committed by resolution of the Provincial Conference to a condemnation of the definitely announced policy of the Government to carry out the construction of the unfinished railway lines. I say emphatically that the mover of that resolution has exceeded his commission, and acted without authority, and in my opinion has acted more from partisan zeal than from concern for the farming inAt the winter conference in Dunedin the president, Mr R. E. Smith, asked for the loyal support of the members. But unless the executive officers are loyal to the spirit and letter of the constitution, how can they expect loyalty from the members? Cut out the political bias and eliminate it entirely when dealing with farming questions and interests. Farming is indissolubly linked up with political measures, but should be kept, in every shapo.-and form, clear of party politics. That is a matter for the individual; keep the organisation free. —I am, etc., W. D. Mason. Middlemarch, February 13.