The Poverty Bay Hearald AND East Coast News Letter. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENINO. Friday, November 21, 1879.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 956, 21 November 1879, Page 2

The Poverty Bay Hearald AND East Coast News Letter. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENINO. Friday, November 21, 1879.

Fabmerb' Unions are being established throughout Victoria, which are likely to be followed with the very best results. Should not the farmers of New Zealand make some effort to adopt the same measures 1 For if ever agricultural interests demanded fostering it is surely m the two Islands of this Colony. ; Qne > of jbhd results of such unions is that they lead to the interchange, of, ideas, the diffusion of useftil fnformation, f ahd ; the delivery of addresses m political and economic topics,' by ' practical agriculturists. How well do the slashing remarks made by Mr. , Andekson, a practical farmer m Victoria, at. .a late meeting of-I-thef. members s of^ the Farmers'Unions, apply to this Colony. Speaking of the, prica , of agricultural pi*oduc^ anS "nibre particularly that of cereals, Mr. Anderson said that last year' wtie#.t had only fetched from 3s. 6d. : to 3s. Bd. per bushel. "Could the farmer," he asked, " raise grain at such a figure 1 He most emphatically said no. Such a price meant loss to the farmer, and more than that, it meant a loss to the Colony. With a good harvest he anticipated that there would be a million, bushels of wheat available for export; this season. Now, he showed from the accouut sales of a* shipment ito England of 260 quarters, that it only realised 4s. 3|d. per bushel of 621 b. after deducting all expenses ; and the question which naturally arises is, how are the costs of production to be reduced, so as to enable wheat to be exported at a profit. The obvious answer is,/ by cheapening ihe farmer's implenrcnts and machinery and by diminishing the cost of living. Arid this can only be effected by the abolition of protective duties. When the farmer rises m the morning from a taxed bed, he wwHes himself with' taxed soap, m taxed tfasin, aiad wipes" himself dry

with a taxed towel. Evevy ai'ticle of wearing apparel that he puts on has been subjected to taxation, and he sits, down to breakfast, -which is prepared at a taxed stove, served up m taxed crockery and hard ware on a taxed table, and partaken of with taxed knives and forks and spoons. When he goes out to work, his horse is shod with taxed shoes, fitted with taxed harness, and attached by means of taxed chains, to a taxed plough. If he has occasion to drive m to the nearest town he does so m a taxed buggy. If he rides, it is on a taxed saddle. If he sends m produce, it is m a taxed dray or? waggon. If he brings back any hosiery, drapery, or mercery for his wife and children, all the articles are taxed. If he buys a new hat, or a pair of boots or gloves,or an umbrella for himself, each item istaxed. If his dairy utensils are worn out and require replenishing, every one of them is enhanced m price by taxation. His rakes, hoes, sickles, scythes, spades, axes, foi-ks, hammer, saws, nails, knives, buckets, bags, sacks, ropes, and tarpaulins have all paid tribute to the State, or to the privileged classes. And so have the labour saving machines which he purchases or hires. Sleeping or waking, at bed or board, at home or abroad, he is pursued by the grim spectre of the tax-collector ; and eveiy farmer may be said to carry a protected manufacturer on his back. Is it to be wondered at that the unfortunate cultivator of the soil should chafe and groan under the burden ? Nay, rather is it not a matter for sincere congratulation that he should have arrived at the manly determination no longer to submit to such a crying instance 1 If th'e grim spectre of the tax collector m Victoria haunts the farmer, how much more does, it do so here -where everything on the earth, and- under 'the earth is so taxed, whether it be what he eats, drinks, wears, uses, or consumes- m any Way, he has to come ' heavily tariff-laden through the Custom House. Not only this, but he has to submit to heavy local taxation and while he contributes so largely to the colonial revenue, from which m future he is to receive no benefit, he will have to submit to increased local imports. It is high time the farmers m New Zealand should organize, as the farmers of Victoria have done, for the protection of their own interests.