CORRESPONDENCE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12770, 23 May 1912, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE AIMS OF LABOR

(To the Editor of the Herald.)

Sir,—- 1 would like space to reply to «, letter appearing m last Tuesday's issue of the Herald, over the norn cle plume of "Small Farmer." He certainly may be a small farmer, the same as I am a small carpenter, that is small m stature, but the views he, evidently holds ' are those of a big landowner, "and a very biassed on c at that. According to the closing portion of his letter, the working men are nothing more than a lot of rogues and thieves. He stated that he .was working, foi' some years' with men who were Always ready to. beat \hnjv. bosses or any thing they ' could get' away, with. There comes 16 riiy mind an old saying, that birds of a feather flock together, and perhaps when "Small Farmer" is considering us working men rogues arid thieves, he is measuring "our corn with his bushel. "Small Farmer" is 1 evidently . very \--much - afraid of the United. Labor .Party. WJiy"?. No oriswno is rendering any useful' service to the_ country need feel alarmed of the United Labor Party. Certainly all may no ( t. agree with it, and o»v;ith them ;I; will not quarrel, b.ut when people, as '.'Small Fafrner''' has done, . use base insinuations, then, .sir, I feel it .is time to retaliate. He states that '-.th'e United Labor .Party is endeavoring to- get the small farmers into „tHeir -organisation..-. We are; but nqt. .more oso, than any other class ..of workers. •-.. :We rpali.se^ air, tliat the small farmer is one of the most sweated class tliere is m existence m New Zealand to-day. Even where the farmer -is apparently his own master, he works hard and makes little. If not m the -hands of. the landlord, he is m the hands of the banks or. . money-lenders.. Through inability to see tlie, blessing^ of cp t opei , a-. tiori he is always; at- the' mercy of the middlemen. Gpod seasons /jive pleiit.eO'us harvests, and then he has to "sell! his produce for next to nothing through certain people having a hold upon, him. The, United . Labor Party \ m power would put a. stop to this sort of thing. The farmer, m spite of high prices for milk ahd 'cream m trie town or city, m very many, cases cannot afford to pay labor; and oiice' a man has fallen into the sin of sweating bis children, he often persists, ' after the original cause j has: been ' removed. The United Labor j Party would majke' conditions that therewould be no need -for; sweating his children, m fact it would.be unlawful. Why -should the smalj . farmer fear a tax on land values. It-is not 'a., tax on production,. for, if. .the- State were to take the whole of; the unearned increment of, the; .land^-^eyery penny,' that is of the un- j improved value— there wqrild ' still \be left' to the producer the full result of his labor upon the. land. Before the ' land tax could increase the cost of production- it; would have' to exceed the rental value df the land. Furthermore, a tax on land, instead, of diriiinishing supply,- augriients it. The holding of land for speculative purposes being by taxation a losing game, 'large 1 areas, of land at present withheld from use' wiltbe thrown into the market, .1 ask "Sriiall Farmer" will this be a benefit or not to the small farmers? Then, sir, "Small Farn\er" tries to connect us with the Federation-, of Lahor (Xieg.). I-'wish', to -deny any connection whatever. T^ey are no relation: It is true Aye would like to get', the; rank -and file of that Federation • into our organisatioiij but. we ;-,are; not going to them ; they must come tb.-uSf- and m coming to us- they riiust conforrii.to.our rules, constitution, and platform ; . and I ' defy ''Small Farmer" to prove that we have ever been guilty of any dishonorable action. When we have entered into an agreement we have always abided by that agreement, jThe United Labor Party is out to win, ' and we will win. We are not afraid of the' rea^l character of United Labor being exposed, m fact that is what we de- . sire; but we Avant the real character made known, not ,- the character that \ "Small Farmer" would give it. — I am, I etc.,; D- W. Co^E>lA.^