The Opunake Times TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1897. THE FARMERS’ FRIENDS.

Opunake Times, Volume VII, Issue 343, 21 December 1897, Page 2

The Opunake Times TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1897. THE FARMERS’ FRIENDS.

The members of the present Gfovernment endeavor to po.se as the friends of the working man, and the small farmer, and loud are their protestations when on an electioneering campaign of how their hearts beat in sympathy with the struggling settler. They point out various ways in which lie is trampled upon by the fat and bloated capitalist, and call on their audiences to rise as one man, return them to power, and at once, and for ever break the binding cords of slavery, and become free men as God intended they should be. The electors have risen in response, and for three general elections past, have returned their professed saviours to power. It is very amusing to hear a long list of benefits detailed which Ministers claim they have provided for the small farmer, but we think if any farmer who has made any progress wilt for a few minutes sit down aud clear his brain of electioneering twaddle, aud put a few every day questions to himself, he will come to the conclusion that his progress is not exactly attributable to the Ministers of the day. Supposing his dairy herd has increased ; his supply of milk to the factory, the number of acres brought into cultivation, the number of acres of bush felled, the size of his house, his outbuildings, the number of his pigs, supposing, we say, he finds any or all of these have increased, will he find that such increase is due to members of the Government, or that they are due to his own longer hours worked, greater care of the bawbees when they come into his possession, depriving himself aud his family of many little plcasuscs in amusements in home comforts, in dress, and in many other ways, which Ministers, with their fat salaries never dream of. We have no hesitation in saying that he will come to the sorrowful conclusion that every cow, every extra gallon of nii'k, every post in the fence, every board in his house, every tree felled, every acre of grass sown, all are the result of his own or his family’s hard work and self-enforced self denial. This session, weeks have been wasted over useless and nonsensical measures

whilst the settlers are being threatened by great losses in the attempt to stamp out tuberculosis, but the Government cannot find time to bring in a measure for their relief. Ministers are quite willing to let their own hearts still bleed for the struggling settler, and let the settlers’ hearts and pockets bleed as well, bat will not put aside their fads to find time to pass a measure for their relief. We consider * this action of the Government is nothing short of criminal, once they have recognised as they profess to have done that it is just farmers should be compensated. Leaving it over to another session will give them the opportunity of making inspection more rigorous, aud between this and then having hundreds or thousands of head of stock destroyed for which no compensation will be paid, and then when the Act is passed this will be so much money that the Government will save, and the unfortunate farmers will be individually the losers of. If the Government were sincere in their expressions of regard for the farmers they would not lose a minute in bringing in such a measure for their relief. Our member, Mr Henry Brown, has been urging the question on the Government since the opening of the session, but except talk no real relief is to be afforded. This should cause farmers to think, and well consider whether Ministerial protestations are chaff or wheat.