DOMINION’S DIFFICULTIES

Taranaki Daily News, 8 July 1931, Page 9

DOMINION’S DIFFICULTIES

EXHORTATION TO FARMERS OPENING OF UNION CONFERENCE. GOVERNOR AND POLITICIANS’ PLEA By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, July 7. The New Zealand Farmers’ Union conference was opened to-day by the Gover-nor-General, Lord Bledisloe, who traversed the difficulties facing New Zealand and the world and told farmers to be of good courage and produce goods of the exact quality and description wanted by customers, to stick together and they would win through. Messrs. G. W. Forbes (Prime Minister), J. G. Coates (Leader of the Opposition) and H. E. Holland (Leader of the Labour Party) also spoke. Mr. Forbes said these were times when frankness was required and facts had to be faced and unless they were thoroughly understood it would not be possible to overcome difficulties. He knew that to a certain extent the guns at the conference would be turned against the Government, winch did not have the buffer available iu previous years—a. full Treasury. The Treasury was in a fairly depleted condition at the present time. When there was a drop of this description public finance received the first knock, and he would only ask them to temper the wind to the shorn lamb.

Mr. Coates said everybody was realising to-day how New Zealand was dependent on the prosperity of its primary producers. It was essential that there should be somebody to whom the Government could turn for directive advice —advice that could be collected only as a result of knowledge of those in close touch with the farming industry. It was urgent that there should be a body of farmers to give advice to the Government, particularly in these days. Mr. Holland thought every section of the House recognised the responsibility on members at the present time. He had never been able to take a gloomy view of the position here and in Australia because these younger countries were capable of rising above the conditions of any temporary economic depression. The main thing was the lesson to be learned from such depressions. The conference was one which must have a very great influence upon the politics of the country, notwithstanding its claim that it was non-political. He spoke of marketing as a big question and said people had. to realise that the. markets of the world were becoming less open. There was a necessity for some selfreliant policy in New Zealand.