FARMERS' UNION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14284, 28 April 1917, Page 4

FARMERS' UNION.

I •A- meeting of members of the Poverty ' Bay A. and. P. Association was held at Bedstone's hall this afternoon, to meet i Major Lusk and Mr Cooper, of the New. Zealand' Farmers' Union Mr W. G. Sherratt presided over a- fair attendance. ,: The chairman explained that 1 he had called, the meeting to meet Major'- Lusk and Mi' Cooper, who were visiting the of the . Farmers' Uiiion. He called on M^joir Lusk to ad- | dress the meeting. ; , •. -„,. .< Major Lusk expressed pleasure at hay; fiiig an opportunity to have a talk' with his fellow v farmers abtfut matters that 'concerned them all. He recognised the aims>" and: objects of the A. and P. Associations wer<3 identical- with -tho,<*r of Farprevs' Unions. It was tipi© the j efforts ofV the ;vai*ipus cpmbinatiom should;, be' mjOre united, or amalgamat&t'. I for > this *w_s day -when' unity Avas Jrequired. "Unless they had united actior ' they might suffer — might possibly comt \^td grief" as aunit^Pf the community. ,'He -thought he' could- claim the interests anc' , help, of' the v local associationi ' Major Lusk detailed -his ■ connection with such associations, 'and' said'.''. he hoped they , *tVbuld realise ho knew somethihg'of what he was talking "i about*,-* -While the asocisations did much useful work they were not altogether a united body. Thai was a great source of weakness. If farmers wel-e- not 'prepared to unite and I Consider opposing factors they were •likely to suffer for their laUxargy. In other countries there were combination? Tand organisations that greatly hei pec them m the oarrying out of' 'their views., Some of these combinations' such as the, 1 1. W.W' were opposed to the , farmers' ; interests. 'There were -other combiner j and trusts : that Were inimical ,to " the' I farmers' ; interests, • including thp Beef Trust, which' was operating pretty large'.lyi at present. They covered up their I operations; -but it was known the trust' was : at work. It was more than .desir-, I able, it was a necessity that farmers should wake up and save themselves from retrogression. Farmers' Union? fchbuldj be a. body lin whioh they should, all join.', Until ' that was done they* would not be ,tlie strength m. the community or Parliameiit : that they were I entitled to. The'- speaker' referred to hi? I visit to Gisborne m the early fifties and jAveiit bit to ask Ay ho made the Dominion what it wasv It was' theipioneers and they had: the' ;best light to say how the country ' should be managed. • If they united!' tliey' cpuld have a very fair 'share of the •'control and : influence m Parliament' and ' out-ide- The Farmer's" Union' was the --.atural eetre -where they could look fpr combined, action. He regretted there were- no branches ih this district. They. 7.* were aiming at establishing branches -All oyer the- district, with -a b-ritral' bo*dy- which would be.' i'licbrhihilnicdtion;'thi*pugh the provincial Vbddy; wth the head. kbdy for the Dominion. 'lTiat-wa*' what: they were. looking foi*\*"*ard.t6. an"4 Jf that was^d'oiie there were a great inahy .farmers were looking, f brit-a.i'd) to ;"they woiiid! ' HaVe., itlV though .thiey all knew t that votes told, they 'laid:' "dloiivri. the rule that they must eschew party politics. In the matter of politics generally, -however, they .were „$' .much interested as anyone. Fully 90 per cent,, . of > the .products of the . Doininion Was off the land, and eighty per Gent, of - the land ,w we m. the hands p£ tlus f airtners, and so: they were entitled to coi^ibinej not for .aggression, with- their labor-," but' to 7d l emaiVd respect: Brocediiig; the speaker ' ; referr.ed to the disl ! tridrtsj unfortunate isolation an-d the slow progress of \ railway- construction. -In the province of Auckland they had 20.000 distinct "fanners, and -if -nine per, cent Avere members of^ the -union'- aiid it was decided.' that m tlie general interest railway communication should be pushed on more;,, speedily r apd- linked on to Auckland or ' Napier.. . • ... - . ... „> > , .^mmmmmmmmmmmmmam .