IMPORTANT ISSUE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 44, 28 January 1944, Page 6

IMPORTANT ISSUE

WORKER—FARMER UNITY DISCUSSED

MEETING AT EDGECUMBE On Saturday, January 22 in the Presbyterian Hall. Edgeeumbe, a meeting was held when the .subject oi' Worker—Farmer Unity was discussed. The meeting was organised by the Communist Parly ami the attendance Mas 2.">. Mr Andrew McLean'"\p resided and the .speaker was Mr Vic Wilcox, a well known Auckland Communist leader who spoke, at some length to an audience that was extremely attentive and obviously interested. Declaring that the, policy oil', tlic Communist Party to-day was: "Every-' thing for VicX>ry to achieve, the speediest possible overthrow ol' Fascism" Mr Wilcox said that the carrying of that policy into practice, meant that National Unity for action must be achieved and maintained in all Allied countries. That implied that there, must, be unity between town and country, between worker and working fanner or pro-, duction would suffer, and in that way New Zealand's war effort would suffer. Consequently the matter of Worker—Farmer Unity was one for immediate consideration. However the question went deeper than that. New Zealand had only progressed from a social point of view when some, kind of unity had existed between the worker and the farmer as in the. early days of Scddon and of the Labour Government in 1935 onward. To-day that unity had been broken and unless it could be re-established on the basis of a jirogramme in the interests, of the worker and the working farmer the outlook would be black as vested interests by a policy of. permanent division would rule. This in cllect would; mean that they would live on the back of and exploit botJi thts working farmer and the industrial worker. The worker and the working farmer were natural allies who should not allow reaction with its propaganda machine to keep them apart. From that point of view the Communist Party had and would continue to throw its weight in the direction of getting meetings be- j tween the farmers' organisations and the industrial union so that discussion could be held on the immediate, economic problems of both sections, and a common policy achieved. Both the Trade Unions and the Fanners' Organisations had to realise that if, each pursued a policy in isolation and did not Avorry about how it Avould effect the "other fellow" neither Avould succeed. Referring to the Labour Government. Mr Wilcox said that the Communist Party had supported and still did support, the Government. They did so because they considered it was making a better job of organising a maximum Avar effort than Avould be the case if any possible alternative suc.li as the National Party had office. However that did not mean that immediate improvements in policy and action were not necessary and the Party certainly would exert all possible pressure to see that a policy of action to assist Ihe lower ineomed class among the farming community was carried out. „ Mr Wilcox then outlined some proposals' that the Communist Party was urging the Government to adopt. These included. Jirstlv .some form of ■•increased returns for the lower ineomed farmer, whether a dairy farmer or not. to meet the increased cost of living. The exact form it Avould. take could be formulated after discussion with the farmers organisations. lh> personally had in mind something along the lines of the cost of living bonus given to some workers. Further the whole guaranteed price question should be reviewed. Farm machinery centres should be established throughout New Zealand to enable all farmers to ha\"e the full benefits and use. of. necessary machinery. This AA'ould increase production, and the. farmers incomes. The fertiliser available should be more equitably distributed so that the poorer land and the farmer Avho previously only manured to the extent of maintaining production (he could not afford to build up his land) Avould still have enough to attain that standard . (Continued in next column)

Farmers: co-operative movements should be encouraged and given financial assistance.. Other points such as the matter of the marketing of dairy produce and mortgage re-adjustment Avcre brought for-

ward in the light that they should be reviewed. At the conclusion of the meeting a long discussion followed till utter 11 p.m. and the mevting concluded with a vote of thanks to the speak-