FARMERS AND SOCIALISTS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13597, 18 May 1908, Page 7

FARMERS AND SOCIALISTS.

THE UNION'S MANIFESTO,

The Colonial Executive of tire New Zealand Fanners' Union, in its manifesto has a. lengthy reference to " Socialism." "It is," the circular says, "the duty of our union to tight to the last against proposals which tend in the direction of the platform of the Socialist. Already they have carried the outposts. In production they have a State coal mine—anyone who wishes to see how* this is conducted should visit the Wellington yard; the .State lime kiln was a failure. There is a cry for State flour mills, and whenever the price of any commodity rises abnormally, from any cause, Socialism demands that* its production or manufacture should be nationalised. A State bank is demanded. and, to some extent, conceded. The nationalisation of the land has also to a limited extent been granted. "With borrowed money we buy land and lease it to the people. We abolish our land policy (the optional system) and nationalise several millions of acres. We have already shown that the taxation of land has been doubled, and yet wo have tlio6C who demand that the whole of our taxation should be placed on the land, all the result of town theorists. It i.s true, they forget that no one would be found to cultivate it on their terms, and they have chosen a process for bringing about their ends which would indubitably destroy the cultivable value now existing, long before the State effected what they dream of.

" Political economy, and lessons taken from (he past history of nations arc ignored, and nothing is too crude to suggest a>; a means to an end. Unity is the only weapon that- can successfully disarm and overpower tho efforts of these antagonists, we cau only t-j>eak by educating public opinion and by the right of every man and woman to vote for members of Parliament.

"The election is at hand, and whatever steps it is decided should be taken, unanimity amongst the mc-mbem of the union is absolutely necrasary. We are threatened with serious reduction in the price of our produce; n.iv. further, our principal export, wool, lias already suffered a reduction of at least 40-per cent-., whilst fai*mers have allowed tilings to drift, invasion of our rights has been going on.

"If wo were true to ourselves and to our country we will make a united effort to oppose this. Too often we have been sanding luen to Parliament upon side sisues; sometime.", merely because we have had <% friendly feeling towards some candidate or other, despite his views. And we trust that every fanner will join with as in defeating any further encroachment by voting for these candidates who, by their declared opinions and pledges, will set aside all party preiucliees and supnort the union platform. Our earnest. Avish is simply to 'wake up' the fanner to his own interests. The Socialist demands nationalisation of land and industries, and also insists on interference with the rights of the family—a doctrine that is opposed to progress, and to the desire of every right-thinking man. We. as individuals, believe the boy to he the father of the man and the man is the maker of the nation. Only by the encouragement- of the industry I and progress of the individual can the naI tion became great and powerful. 7 '