FARMERS' POLITICS

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 182, 27 April 1908, Page 7

FARMERS' POLITICS

. . A SAFE TENURE. . "CITY RULE" CRITICISED. [BY TELEGRAPU.-r-SPECIAIi CORRESPONDENT.^ >'. Auckland, April 26. The president of the New Zealand Farmers' l Union, speaking at a complimentary dinner given to him on his return from Europe, remarked that New Zealand was. essentially an agricultural country. It was therefore imperative that they should make tho agri- . culturistß contented, prosperous, and hopeful. What thoy:asked for. was a, safe tenure. The farmers' Union did not favour big areas, but what they wanted was the freehold. During' tho last twelve months.. there had been serious legislative measures advocated. .' Tho thirty-three years' lease, ho Baid, would never appeal to the farmers or servo to attract population. What .they most Weeded' was population,., and it was only by offering a safe and attractive teiiuro of tho land that they could liopo to achiove this." Other countries wore offering tho freehold in an attractive form, and while it 'i as impossible for Now Zealand to offer tho land for nothing, as was being done elsewhere, its behoved tliem to. make the tenure as. sccuro as -was possible, j , f The cities of New Zealand, he said, governed the, country. • Tho' cities iyished\ to havo a hold upon it; to have a share of what) tliey were pleased to call the unearned increment, but what in reality was the result' of; the capital,' worlr, and sweat ptit' into the land ,hy tho farmer. In .conclusion, Mr.' Phillipps touched upon tho question of defonce, and urged that New. Zealand should assist , in;; the. upkeep. |of Navy.;"You .pay 'your insurant without , a; grumblo," he said; " "Why. not. pay your just insuranco on tho protection wo enjoy under : tho care of tlio Navy? " Mr. L;- J. Uagnall slaid ho thought tho: 'farmers wero far.too apathetic in making their influenco felt' in political matters. ~The • farming community' should take a leaf from, the - book < of some . of .; tho .-'city; institutions i and organisations, and should f make, its , power felt in questions of ' a political nature.; The 'land^ 1 lie .said, was; .not as productive as, it * should bo, and there /was no way iii which they could so readily increase wealtji of the country as by build-; ing up their exports. \ Therefore,- they.'shoulddo everything possible to build; up. tho pro-, during powW 'of the. country. The Education Department was, he'said, endeavouring to do its' partuii instructing the younger genera-, -tion iii nature.study-and a general knowledge 'which would' be of yaluo to - them in. after : life. Ho was convinced that the farmers did • not wish to agitato, for that which would benefit j themselves alone, but_ that which would ba bost for the country as; a whole.