FARMERS’ LEAGUE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1412, 10 May 1886, Page 3

FARMERS’ LEAGUE.

A mketivg of the Farmers’ League was held at the Arcade Chambers on Saturday. There was a fair attendance. Air I. Sargent, the convener, proposed (hat Mr John Grigg should take the chair. Mr Grigg said he would like to know something of the objects of the Association. Mr Sargent said the principal object the promoters of the Association had in view was the obtaining for the farmers of cheap money. Mr Grigg thought the matter of cheap money was one in which every farmer should work for himself, because a combination would be helpless. But there were plenty of other things to which a Farmers’ league might turn its attention. There was the question of charitable aid. This county had to contribute something like £ldoo per

annum, which money had formerly come out of the Consolidated revenue. The Government when they met the House of Representatives would make a great crow about the great relief to the Consolidated Revenue they had effected, but they would say nothing about the burden falling upon the shoulders of the poorest class in the community. A most provoking thing was that the representatives of country districts swallowed such stories. If the Government had devoted a portion of the Property Tax towards charitable aid it would have been quite fair, but to put the burden on the occupiers of the land was manifestly unfair. And this was only the beginning of the evil. They would lind that before long the Government would endeavor to saddle the cost of Education on the poor farmers. Ho cautioned them not to send men to the House who had not their wits about them, and whose interests were not identical with their own. When he was in the House he saw

there was no hope for the farmer unless there was a distinct country party. At present there were only about ten men in the House whose interests lay with the farmers, and what could that number do among ninety members? Mr Grigg condemned the tariff proposals • of the Government last session at some length and said it would be a great evil to this country were it ever to embark ina policy of protection. Mr W. Strachan agreed with Mr Grigg that there was plenty of scope for a farmers’ association, but he did not see why they should not include cheap money in their programme. Mr Grigg having announced his willingness

to take a part in the working of the Association, withdrew, and Mr W. Straohan was voted to the chair. After a brief conversational discussion, it was resolved, as the motion of Mr Sargent, seconded by Mr Buckley, that the membership fee should bo 2s (id. Those present agreed to call meetings in their several districts in order to form subcommittees. Mr W. B. Moss was appointed Secretary of the Central Committee, and the meeting adjourned.