THE NEW PREMIER FROM A FARMER'S OUTLOOK.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1425, 27 April 1912, Page 3

THE NEW PREMIER FROM A FARMER'S OUTLOOK.

Sir, —Mr. Thomas Mackenzie is a freein holder. Ho has battled for us farmers a all along. If some of the third party , speak of leaving him he has not lost our * confidence, and as for Labour members \ s °ni° of them are not so much to be |' relied on a3 the weather cock. Mr. MasSi sey has battled bravely, steadily, persist- ' ently, and successfully against'the past administration, and has decidcdlv upheld, the farmers' end. If Mr. Mackenzie and Mr. Massey toss up which is our future jj Premier, either will suit. In tho North * great areas alreadv secured by the Crown remain unsettled and unproductive. The .North wants theso unproductive areas settled by hardy pioneers, so as to in- ; crease our trade exports and imports by ] ?? ,l nci ;n? se our . producing population. II Mr. Ihomas Mackenzie gets these droits opened to; settlement, he gains, our support at anotl i or-el c cti on.. 'Ih cro is a split' . in the present 'Goveniiiieiitl' and tk'at'split' 1J J " ot ,B row '> ns the Ward tree is dry. iiut if at a nc,v election we. farmers send m our members, we may find .Massey and ;Y !u * pnzle l>°th g-ood, honest fighters for the best and truest interests of our country, opposed. . But as their feelings are j so much the samo, .10 matter who is I Premier tho waste lands will be opened, the resources of tho North developed, causing a natural tide of honest prosperity, which 110 Ward-Seddon borrowed prosperity can equal. Wo have the country, there are enough young men who have been inured to the hardships of pioneer life, and rather than that our bountiful resources should remain unproductive we should emulate Canada's examples and allow our pioneers eons to have the land if they niako the roads to their holdings. Oirr waste lands are worth nothing, hut are becoming hotbeds of noxious weeds, and the - sooner settled tho better for the revenue. Those who wish to interfere with'the freehold tenure

are not farmers. Those who occupy the land are the people to decide tenure. As labour people arc responsible the world over for the increase in the cost of living by their ignorance of political economy" they Ciia raise wag«s to «£1 per day per man. \Yo who produce then raise our prices. The only real difference is that more money circulates. It poos therounds. We all live the same. If il per day pleases the labourer, let him have it; he gets only half the food and clothes, etc., for 10s. with wag-s at «£1 tliot lie would with wages at 10s. per dnv. The cost of production is increased, tnerefore the cost of that which is produced the over also increases. If half our dissatisfied, hard-worked, under-paid labourites would go out bnclc and join the ranks of ns Empire-builders, learn to fall bush, plant and produce, our increased production would greatly help the whole population of our country.' It is to the of all our population that tho production of this country from tho surlaco and from under tho surface be increased, Q3 wo all indirectly get our share of that natural increase. If we keep in

power a Government that neglects fostering tho natural resources of iir country, and in order to make good its incapacity it borrows on our country's security, wo aro to blame. To be a thoroughly successful Dominion, we must get all we can out of our ship of State. It matters very little who is Premier if ho does what tho Dominion ship requires. No doubt many repairs are wanted. She is to bo docked until June. It takes tho best working foreman time to calculate tho best way to effect repairs. For some timo Zealand lias had a false, borrowed prosperity. Our farmers and voters gennow acknowledge, this fact. Cost of living has risen as duties are heaped on. Wo farmers have to pay 30 per cent, duty on a farm mill from America, 30 per cent, on whito oak wagons, 20 per cent, on farm oil engines, 30 per cent, on boots. Wages and duties aro so high we dou't get fair play. It is unfair to us to thus tax tis heavily for the tools we can only get from America. The local productions are much too heavy, too dear, and being altogether hand-made, are so cumbersome as to be only useful 100 years ago to our forefathers. As wages rise, the article produced rises. Thus wo have one continual struggle for existence. Our farmers m-jst get their implements and tools duty free. Local industries producing useless tools and implements are more hindrance than help. To foster useless industries at the farmers'expense makes us, wish for fair play. 'Wo want ati honest Liberal Government, and don't care who is Premier if lie knows what is wanted, and does it. We have had enough of Uncle Rull's cash, and now know tlie interest must be paid by excessive taxation. If Labour votes interfere with the advancincnt of our country, we must give the Labour members a small Parliament of their own, as they in tho past in New Zoalanl have reckoned without the farming community.—l am, etc., COCKATOO.