The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. THURSDAY, SEPT. 22, 1892.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 3159, 22 September 1892, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 22, 1892.

ttqual and exact lusticc to all men, # Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political.

The inaugural meeting of the Mangore branch of the National Association was held last week. The first President (Mr Kirkbride) based his iiddress upon a query put by himself : Are country settlers as deserving of legislative favours and State assistance ns other workers in the country? In order that our contemplated remarks may be understood, it is necessary that we should as tersely as possible give the heads of the address. In favour of the National Association he claimed that it was opposed to all class and socialistic legislation and to every measure with a tendency to d. stroy freehold tenure. Hitherto legislation had been in the direction of affording State aid to certain classes of town workers, by protective tariffs, restriction of hours of labour, providing fixed holidays, etc. Town settlers are required to work eight hours a day ; the fanner worked from ten to fourteen to make a living. He thought interference with hours of labour should extend to all classes, so that remuneration and conditions of life might be equalised. These differences eaused the smart and active boys to leave the country andjpush their way into the towns. The farmer was unable to fix the price of the articles h?. had to sell, and tho growers of potatoes did not realise one shilling per day for their labour ; growers of lemons were forced recently to accept -id to 6d per dozen—so per cent under the usual price, owing to the arrival of a large shipment. He failed to see why a farmer should be placed in a worse position in regard to his own market thai: was the shoemaker or any other class of worker. Mr Massey, in moving a vote of thanks, spoke of the injustice of a heavy duty being placed on some farm machinery— horse rakes, plough fittings, etc. Mr Allan remarked that it was hard for fruit-growers who planted good kinds of apples and preserved them from the moth, to find the prices lowered by importations. To Mr Kirkbride'a question there can, of course, be only one answer, no matter from what shade of politician it might be elicited. As regards resistance to every attempt to rob the farmer of his freehold for which lie has paid, either by undisguised methods or insidious taxation, it is to be hoped that the whole country community, no matter under what form of tenure they occupy, will unite to nip in the bud the first proposal in that direction made in Parliament. The State has just as much right to step in and take a man's furniture out of his house and dispose of it as the law might direct, it appears to us that those who hold under any other form of tenure have no cause for jealousy of those who hold the freehold—certainly not of those who purchased during the inflation of values consequent upon the benefit of the Public Works Scheme being trebly estimated. As we pointed out some littln time back, the objection that the leaseholder can only borrow at an exorbitant rate does not hold

good -Ik; Ims, in rfl'eet, borrowed to thi; full estimated present value, of tin: land at n lower rate than he. could in the market, presuming lie. held tlir- freehold. Mr Kirkbridc has not attempted to trace facts to cause, otherwise he could not have omitted to point out that the disadvantages under which the landowners in this colony suffer are mainly due to the attempt which has been made to prematurely establish manufactures. lie. certainly points out that the towns arc supplied witli farm produce at "sweating " prices, but be does not point cut that those prices are " sweatin« " mainly bocatisft the cost of living and production is inordinately increased owing to the protected prices he has to pay in order that towns may grow, a small number, compared with the land-workers, may earn wages, and a few become rich. He points out that legislation in the past has lead to the smart boys being tempted to the towns. Protective duties must always have this effect and the farmer in consequence suffers not only from the high price he pays for necessaries, but also from the artificial rate of wages he is in consequence compelled to pay. Under these conditions it is perhaps natural, that the growers of produce with which importations compete in the local market should ask, that a duty shall lie imposed which will enable them to earn fair wages. One of the speakers stated that potatoes did not yield above Is per day. We have no means of refuting or verifying the statement, but if it be fact he is not a good farmer or the conditions under which he grows the crop and gets it to market are unfavourable. To our mind this is no argument for the imposition of duty on potatoes. The fact which the farmers of this country must grasp is, that compared with the capacity of the country, our local markets are of comparatively little moment, and as land occupation increases will become less so year by year. Happily the facilities for transport are daily improving and our distance from the markets of the world is to a great extent counterbalanced by the regularity of our climate and the fertility of our soil. The constituents to success in the markets of the world, are cheap living and cheap transit to a port. In order that the former may be arrived at the work before the farming community is to unite and compel the legislature to lower the protective duties which experience has taught us are a delusion so far as the main reason urged in their favour is concerned—that they will in a short time enable the industries to run alone. The effect of protection lias been, and always will be to create large cities and ruin the country, and recent experiences in America go far to show that protection is not necessarily productive of happy and contented urban populations.