THE FARMERS' UNION.

Timaru Herald, Volume XC, Issue 13298, 29 May 1907, Page 5

THE FARMERS' UNION.

THE LAND BILL.

TILT AT THE PRESS.

Per Press Association,

WELLINGTON, May 28

The annual conference of delegates from the branches in the 'Wellington provincial district of the New Zealand Farmers Union, was opened to-day at Levin. The president (Mr J. G, Wilson), in the course of his annual address, siiid with reference to the Land Bill, that, there was certainly a bona_ fide desire for land- a desire now -f the "g r P a * > raffle system. The public was not allowed to conduct a raffle without permission from the Government, butt the Government itself perpetuated the, system. , The desire for land, was pniy partly appeased by this system of Government raffle,' and a bona fide .settler and man competent to. work the land was usually pushed out by' the speculator.. Whatever benefit the ballot system had been in the past, _it was now a failure. At- no time in the history of the Union had there been greater necessity for calm judgment aud fair, criticism in placing the true position of the: land before the" colony. The Union by circulating a pamphlet" dealing with the question had helped 'materially to show "the public what, the Land Bill really meant. > At _ present there were three big papers in New Zealand which were favourable to the Land Bill and against the Union's platform—two in Wellington and one in Christchurch. Each of these papers owned land of the value of £20,000 or £25,000; yet the Union would not term them monopolist's, although they (the papers) were not, as a rule very precise about the terms they apr plied to' the Union and those associated with it. They were very free in speaking of the land monopoliser in the country with his £IO,OOO worth property, but they had nothing to say about themselves with £25,000 worth in towns. Mr Higgie, Wanganui, moved that no Land Bill will meet the approval of this Union .that does not contain the right- t6 procure the freehold. _ The motion was carried unanimously. Captain Hewitt-, Palmerston, movied that the Conference urge 'the executive to maintain steady pressure against the proposed Land Bill, especially as to fixing hard and fast, limits on the farming industry. He claimed that the principle involved in the limitation of area was wrong. Mr Moore, Makuri, said he believed the State was impoverished by land being held in wide areas. Mr Crabbe, Kimbolton, moved an amendment that- this. Conference, while considering the Government's land proposals to be crude and unworkable, is not opposed to the principle of limitation of area. The. mover said that his branch felt it was high time to speak out, and that the executive of the union did not- on the question of limitation represent the feeling of the majority of members. If it was possible to" agree to any portion of the Land Bill they oughtto" do so, and not condemn it altogether. There was a feeling that, the Union was run in the interests of big landowners. Mr Hughes, Marton, seconded the amendment. . . In the debate which followed the opinion was expressed that it would be disastrous for the land to be idle till it could be taken up in small areas; that aggregation was due to the desire of fathers to get land for J h'ir sons; that- it was sunmsme tha+ a Government which supported limitation. should a 1 low aggregation to go on; that if the Union did not support limitation, it would be at the end of its tether; that increase of holdings showed that ■mall areas wre. not suffic'ent. The president said that if they could devise- method of cutting up estates which would not do injury, they mightapprove of it. Mr W. J. Biroh, a member of the executive, raid he would be mute will in r to sTpppr?- the amendment- if Mr Crabbe added the words " Under some equitable system."

Thi«t suggestion was adopted, and the amendment was carried by 26 votes to six roles