THE FARMERS' UNION ATTACKED.

Otago Witness, Issue 2523, 23 July 1902, Page 27

THE FARMERS' UNION ATTACKED.

MEETING OF WELLINGTON SOCIALISTS.

(Fx»i: Ocx Owx CpßazeroxDrxT.) WELLINGTON, July 21

"Federal Hall, Monday, 21st July, at 8 p.m. Muss meeting. Tae people versus tlie Farmers* Union platform. A retrograde step in favour of land sharks and speculators. Mr Laurenson and other 3I.H.E.'s will address the meeting. Every citizen 13 invited to attend, and make the protest aa strong as possible. Collection to defray expenses. A*. . Jl. Hampton, secretary (Socialist party. '

'lhe above was an advertisement that caught my eye in to-night's Post, and I etrolled along to see the result. When I got to the hall about a quarter past 8 I found some 30 or 40 people present and a considerable array of empty benches. The •hall is a small ore in the centre of the city, and is usually used for variety entertainments. It might perhaps be said that to-night was not an exception to the general rule. A collection of small silver coins and a penny was takon up at the door. A little girl of tender year? went about endeavouring to get the somewhat meagre audience to buy literature of a Socialistic kind. A legend of some recent performance stared at us from the left side of the stage. " Coon melodies," " double* trapeze act," "rolling globe act,' and " knockabout comedians " were announced, the •whole to conclude with "Fun 111 a BallTOom." One man who wandered in seemed to look for something of this nature, but was disappointed. The chairman explained that the meeting had been called by the local friends of the •Socialistic party to consider the platform of the Farmers' Union. Most thinking people, he said, thought that platform was of a decidedly reactionary character, and it was not in the interests of the bulk of the farmers of the colony nor in the interests of the general body of the workers. In fact, as their secretary had put it, it was a platform of land sharks and speculators, and the Farmers' Union was apparently completely ©ontrolled by the large landholders and

' gentlemen of the financial intcre-z i e. He I read the platform of the Farmers 1 Union, and went on to epdak in objection ,to eevcral of its plxnk«, such as those regarding land tenure and freedom of contract. The first speaker was a young man. who, llio chaii-ina* intima.t«Kl, had a motion to propose. The speaker expressed regret that the ppople of Wellington had not availed themselves of the opportunity now provided by the .Socialists' Union of protecting against the platform of th-p Farmers' Union. In the course of a brief speech he said nine-tenths of the American farmers were taking oil tlif> risks of the montved interests. They were bound hand and foot to the mortgagee. Tho speaker forgot to propose his motion. The chairman, however. reminded him of the omission, aad ho rose again and read the following motion — " That this meeting desires to express its sympathy with the idea of forming a New Zealand Farmers' Union, which they recognised is as neces&ary for the country producer a* for the worker in towns, but, at the same time, desires to draw the attention of all friends of progress throughout the colony to the reactionary demands of the present Farmers' Union." The seconder of the motion, another young man. stated that he had been biought up on a farm, and he affirmed that farmers weie working 16 aud 18 hours a day to pay interest to those mortgagees and money-lenders who fattened 011 their labour. The platform of the Farmer*' Union was a platform put forward by a few big landowners and speculators. Mr Laurenson. who was received with applause, began with a reference to the fable of the ass in the lion's skin. How closely allied the Fanners' Union was to -IDsap's fable they could now sec, for when the union opened its mouth to speak the other day in "Wellington it brayed. It was the old " National Ass." come back under a fresh disguise. It was not a Farmers' Union at all, but, <ac one of their own members \ had called it, a landlords' union. Haiiug opened it= mouth its days in New Zealand were numbered. Mr Lourenson went on to adversely criticise some of the planks in th«> platform of the Farmers' Union. He laised a laugh by referring to a resolution passed by the fanners at Milton that they should kill off all gulls. That, added Mr Laureneon, was rather a mistake, because if they killed off all the gulls how were they to carry their resolutions. — (More laughter.) He went on to refer to various members of the union in different centres, and reiterated the statement that the union was the resuscitated " Natiowsri As*.," like a thief, come back from transportation under new aliases. .However, there was no need to trouble about it for it was, like O'Callagan, " 011 its last 1p:?s." A recent meeting of a branch in Cantertrary had to be adjourned • for want of a quorum. AX Ashburtou only the president and secretary turned up at one meeting, and they adjourned so that the secretary could go out and collect some subscriptions. — (Laughter.) At another meeting Mr Leadley had been asked what about the expenses of the delegates, and he had to get up on his hind legs aud admit there was only 40 "bob" in the box — 'Laughter.) Jn concluding his remarks, Mr Laureneon said it was rather significant that the recent meeting of deleeate.s took place in the museum — (laughter) : — but the story that the legend "Old bones and fossils" was printed up over the door ho IVlipvcd Jacked cohfumaiioii. — 'Lnuglit^r ) In his opinion, howover, the Faimcrs' Union would not trouble many of them in a few months Mr L.aurenson re*um<»cl hie seat amidst a] plau.ee, nvd. there being no s]«m of " tlio other AI.H R.'s." who evideirtlv thoucht discretion the better part of valour, the motion was nut and carried unanimoufclv. .Another resolution objecting to the alienation of Crown lands and providine for -npriodiral vpvaluation^, also or.o regarding a Fiir Rput Bill, wpre prrmo^ed and carrird, after which the somewhat frigid meeting termi nated.