SIR J. PARR & FARMERS

Waikato Times, Volume 109, Issue 18344, 2 June 1931, Page 6

SIR J. PARR & FARMERS

ATTITUDE OF UNION. NEITHER CIVIL NOR FRIENDLY. WILLING TO ADDRESS MEETING. Sir James Parr has addressed the following letter to Mr W- H. Allen, agent for the Waikato Sub-provincial of the New Zealand Farmers Union: “On May 14 I wrote a letter suggesting that I should be invited to address your executive to clear up misunderstandings. My letter was couched in friendly and civil terms, but your executive at once adopted an attitude to me neither civil nor friendly. According to the Waikato Times report you had a meeting and called in the press, so that you might publicly attack me in an abusive and insulting fashion surely a peculiar treatment of a guest I Why does your executive seem unable to discuss a plain economic and business issue without heat and vituperation? Among other personalities Mr Zlman said that Sir James Parr ‘was angling to get a small meeting of a few farmers who could not reply,’ and I noticed that your speakers were agreed that it would suit your executive much better if I addressed a full conference. I write now to say that I am most anxious to address a full conference, or, better still, a meeting of all the farmers (whether in the Farmers’ Union or not), who would care to hear my views. Notwithstanding the fact that since these attacks on me you have not been good enough to inform me that the executive agreed to hear me, I must say that the attitude of the executive is so obviously biassed and intolerant that I despair of getting at their hands a fair hearing. But if you will arrange that t shall meet the largest possible body of farmers with an ■ impartial chairman I shall be delighted to come to Hamilton to address, them.—Sgd. C. J. Parr. "P.S.—t regret being a little late in answering you, but I was busy in the Haurakl election where the farmers appear to have emphatically rejected your executive’s views.— Sgd., C.J.P."