FARMERS' PROBLEMS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22816, 27 February 1936, Page 10

FARMERS' PROBLEMS

TO THE EDITOR. Slß—The jargon of impressive but meaningless, phrasings forwarded to the press as a specimen of the advice on farming problems of the union and Mr Poison to the Labour Government in itself provides conclusive proof that neither Mr Poison nor. the Farmers' Union as at present constituted is competent to present the needs of distressed farmers to any individual or party, though, as I have constantly maintained, desperate necessity for suitable representation undoubtedly exists. Mr Savage knows, however, that the views so published are those of Mr Poison and his satellites alone, certainly not the views of the lesser lights of the union. Plain speaking and- direct action are what is wanted, and this the union always avoids where its services are most needed. The views of Mr Poison will carry scant weight with the Government, whose members will remember the political record of Mr Poison, constantly changing front. To hear plain' speech ask the man who unjustly and inequitably has been evicted from his farm. Ask the poor unfortunate who has to depend on a stock firm for sustenance for himself and family, and though he is constantly harassed by the demands of the land mortgagees is incapable of any action, while the stock firm seizes the returns for his produce and stock. For plain speaking commend me to the once prosperous and influential landholder who to-day has virtually lost the management of his affairs and must obey the dictates of the manager of some firm. Ask, also, the struggling dairy farmer, who futilely toils endless hours, and to this end conscripts the labour of his family to dirty and drudging toil, to be rewarded finally at the year's end by the attentions of the income tax inspector and a resultant claim for profits that, have never materialised in actual fact. Ask the victim of misrepresentation, and one will hera in burning terms his opinions of " progressive " agents. These are the men to consult, not the bombastic Mr Polson and his imitators.

Useless and hopeless as the Farmers' Union is, it nevertheless, after all, is worthy of the farmers themselves. They blindly pay heavy yearly contributions to its funds, and then take no trouble to see that they are suitably represented by the proper type. Therefore, it automatically becomes a convenience, whereby a few officials in the town maintain remunerative and interesting positions, and is also a means of furnishing publicity to the personalities and views of a few selfsatisfied old-timers on the executive. To the Otago section this is particularly applicable. I attended last year's conference as a stranger and saw how the remits referred to by my friend Mr Mason were absolutely trampled down, without any reasonable debate, by a certain clique, and how anything approaching censure of the then Government party was viewed with horror and disposed of as heresy. It is wholly amusing to hear that a section of the union desires to

prevent controversy through the columns of the press. What is there, then, to hide? If the union was of any value at all it should be obvious to those " innocents " that my friends and self have given the Farmers' Union a wonderful opportunity to justify, and thereby advertise, its efforts, and its failure to do so decisively determines its utter worthlessness to the struggling farmer. It is, however, quite a simple matter for me to expose the uselessness of the union in every country centre by speech, and simultaneously urge the need for a real union.

To be fair to Mr Poison and others, guaranteed prices and the adjustment and compensation required for revaluation of farm lands can be done only through thp use of the public credit, and this must not be achieved through taxation or any penalty on other sections of the community or people. Social credit alone is the remedy, and upon this base will stand or fall the policy of the Labour Party. The farcical aspect of the union leader's views on currency reform is this: The Auckland Farmers' Unian wholly supports Douglas social credit. The Dominion executive has repeatedly stated that the solution of our problems lies in a system of monetary reform. Two years ago I heard Mr Poison, when opening the Southland Provincial Conference, put forth quite a stirring demand for control of credit and currency, and at the same time advance his own idea of a system of monetary reform, which no one, and possibly not even he himself, understood. Now, allegedly, there must be no manipulation of currency! Why the change of front? Surely the positfon to-day is for a decided swing of public opinion towards social credit. The Farmers' Union then progresses backwards, or is it that the views expressed are not the union's views, but merely that Mr Poison is running true to form?. So long as the union leaders support the existent system of finance their co-opera-tion will be of scant assistance to the Labour Party, and any assistance to distressed farmers and land reforms will come from our Government in spite of them, not by means of their advice. Then co-operation will be merely at the best a gesture of courtesy, purely passive. Farmers and the Farmers' Union failed to influence and control the late Government to the advantage of the country, and it certainly appears that they are going to fail to influence and assist that of to-day. Therefore, in the name of all that is reasonable, for what purpose does the Farmers' Union exist? —1 am, etc., J. Bruce Birtles. Green Island, February 22.