THE FARMFRS' UNION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2510, 23 April 1902, Page 45

THE FARMFRS' UNION.

FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC POLICY. IFrom OtJK Own Correspondent.) CHRISTCHURCH, April 22. An important speech, outlining the attitude of farmers in connection with the next election, «as mado by Mr G. W. Leadley, president of the Canterbury Provincial Council of the union, last night at Sheffield. Mr Leadley pointed out that the farmer-, as the producers, were the most important section, and had every ri^ht and necessity to combine, more especially as almost every section of the people was combined in one form or another. (Jut of some 800.000 people in the colony there were, according to a reliable authority, 120,000 directly connecter" with production from the soil, either as farmers, dairymen, or fruit growers. Out of the £13,550.249 worth of export* from New Zealand during the last financial year no loss than £11,660,305 was produced by the farmers in addition tc what had been required for local consumption. He enumerated the chief items of the exports, as given in the New Zealand Year Book, and pointed out that the agricultural and pastoral ex ports were 22 times as large as those of manufactured articles, which only amounted to £549,3*2. Not only were farmers the greatest wealth-producers, but they had to bear the greatest share of the public, -burdens. In addition to their fair slmre of the Customs taxation they had to pay £294,000 in land tax, as against £173,809 paid in income tax. He gave an illustration te show how lightly a man was taxed who put his capital out at interest a.s again*t the man who invested the same amount in a farm, and eaid that one of the aims of the Farmers' Union was to endea\our to get this state of things remedied. There was a determined effort be-ing made in the country to increase the land tax, and they must stoutly resist it. As to the future programme of the Farmers' Union, they had what might be termed a foreign and a domestic policy. In regard to the former, one of the questions they were keeping stcadilj in view was that of a preferential tariff, which was one of the subjects to be discussed at the coming Conference of Premiers in London He noticed in regard to the new corn dutie* at Home that concessions were to be made to the colonies. The Americans supplied Ure«.t Britain with over £100,000,000 worth of foodstuff* aunti ally, and yet the Americans excluded everything from going into thoir country by prohibitive duties. The Farmer*' Union had come to the conclusion that preference should be given to the pioducts of the British Empire — in other words. that the British Empire should be for Bntish people. Another aspect of the question was the market that was now open in .South Africa, and he considered that after c pc«nd ing so much blood and money there it would ■be a most irrational thing to open the door to their foreign competitors, t-ueh aa the United States, the Argentine, and Germany. Another thing that wai. wanted was an all-Biitish postal service, and if the direct service was too slow they should subsidise the new Federal line instead of an American one. In regard to their domestic policy, one of their main objects was to maintain the j freehold tenure of land, agam-t which a dead set was made by certain r-ections in the colony, and anothei was to support freedom of contract. He did not wish to oppose labour unions, as the men h:.d e\rry right to combine; but he considered they .were going too far when they dictated to an employer how he should conchiet his business He drew attention U the decisions tind utterances at the recent Labour Conference at Auckland, and said the movements of the Labour partj, who desired to monopolise the government of the colony, would have to be watched. The membership of the Farmers' Union had now reached over 23.000, and he uiged that they should support thp organisation heartily and take H keener interest in matters that affected their interests as farmers. M.. Leadley al*o announced that lie had been in communication with the president of the Wellington Provincial Council nf the Farmei*' Union regarding the question of placing the frozen meat trade on a more *ati*fnctoiy footing, and it had been arranged that rcpro*p-nta tivps of the varioxis frozen moat companies an the colony should N* imited to meet the General Conference of the New Zealand Farmer- Cnion. tc be held in Wellington in June next The question would be dis cussed, and it would be =oen if some better Bcheme could not be devised for disposing of their frozen meat at Home, and thus <3eeure better prices for the pioducer The question of the amount of Mib*cnption paid by members of the Farmers' Union was brought up at the mooting, and *£{• Lfftfjlex eaili lie pvfl#itiftr*il fciuit fanner?

should pay at least 10s per annum, as funds were required to properly carry on the work of the organisation. There were various ways in which the money could be spent for the benefit of the farming community. This matter would be brought up at the General Conference, and so far a.s he knew only one branch was against raiding the subscription.