POLITICAL.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14210, 27 May 1910, Page 5

POLITICAL.

1 1 A FARMERS' PARTY. SOME PLAIN SPEAKING. Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, May 26. At to-day's provincial conference of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, Captain Colbeek representing the Cl-evedou 'branch moved: "" ihtit a, 'iaruterf,' party be formed/' They were told, lie said, that they had representation in Parliament. It was tine that 24 farmers were members of tiie House of Representatives, but mi—fortunately 12 were on the Government side and 12 on the Opposition. "It seems to mr/' said Captain Colbeek. tliat the farmers in the House are not north a rap to us. 'ihey'are tied by party, and you have only to look at the legislation of the last five years to know it. The Sale and Importation of Machinery Act is one of the, most extraordinary measures ever put through the House. We want to run our own candidates. A man is politically what he is born —Liberals are Liberals from birth, and Tories are Tories from birth. The only way to get the farmers to vote, solidly is to bting forward candidates who are neither Government nor Opposition. "What we want is a farmers' party." -Vr ,J. "3. Montiromerio (Mangere). said he was convinced th&fe- a farmers' party -was an actual necessity. Mr J. S. "Wilson (Auckland) said ho was satisfied that the farmers interests were keenly watched in Parliament by the Opposition. Mr Ross said the farmers were well represented, but the trouble was that tiie farmers never knew what they wanted. Captain Colbeek in the course of his reply, .said the discussion had heen a saddening one. He took it that thev had no politics and no sense. It was a. farce to say that the farmers were ■well represented. He wanted to see the Union fighting for-its own prineinlps. j Tiie motion was carried.