GRASS GRUB AND DIAMOND BACK MOTH.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1457, 4 June 1912, Page 8

GRASS GRUB AND DIAMOND BACK MOTH.

CHECKED BY WET WEATHGJI. •Although the grass grub has mafic its ippearance m tho County :armers state that, owing to the wit season, it will not bo so destructive as t was last season. The wet weather in • ° south is also said to be responsible or tho absence of (lie diamond-backed notli which affects the turnip crops. farmers and politics. UNION ATTITUDE SHOULD BE EECOXSIDEUED. '° f " le i V" ost important matters "luch came before , the Southland Farm«Ja nion Conference was a remit from fjeciitivc, which ran as follows:— ihat in vieiv of the recent movement ot the Labour party, respecting increased I arliamentary representation, tho time IS opportune for the Farmers' Union to reconsider their attitude with regard to politics. lho mover, Mr. T. G. Foster, said tli'at tne remit regarding tho necessity of greater political activity had been thrown out last year, but he was of opinion that, they should now take a stand, lie thought 'na.t th.oy should now affirm the principle ttliicn in his opinion would bo a move in the right direction. Mr- M'Qucon said that the time had undoubtedly arrived for the remit to be carried mto effect, but jt had arrived a while before they had noticed it. Farmers generally should, in his opinion, take immediate steps to get special representation 111 Parliament. Thero were numbers of men in Parliament who had an : eve on the interests of tho farmers, but < this could not be compared with special representation, and he thought that the ' farmers should appoint special represen- : tatives to uphold them. They had seen | what the Labour party -was 'doing as a j result of its organisation. Evervono pre- ; sent knew the recent history of politics in 1 Australia. Thero had been a time when tho Labour party -had only one or two ' representatives in Parliament. Later, Irefore they captured tho Government, they made use of the major parties, making what legislation they required. Tho speaker believed that tho fanners would bo able to send as many representatives to Parliament as the Australian Labour party had done, and they would be able to dominate Parliament. In Australia it had been shown what .could be done by good generalship together with an organised minority. Ho held that.tho farmers' interests were tho interests of the Dominion,' and were it not so he would not be a member of tho union. Believing as ho . did that the country ought to be governed in the interests of the farmers, he would stick to them. They wanted settlement, and closer settlement, for the small farmer -was the life blood of the union. itr. Couser said that tho position' was being forced upon them. It did not ret(iiire political Knowledge to see what the Labour activity meant. It simplv meant that Labour had got such a hold on the country that the country was languishing for want of workers. Mr. Cook opposed the carrying of the remit; becausw bo thought the farmers were a class who would not sink their political differences for their own ultimate good and, what was more, he did not think the Labour party had done anything to, hurt the formers. So far as he was concerned, ho thought there were sufficient men iu the Houso to see that no legislation which would do any serious harm to them was, passed. Other members spoke in favour of the motion, which, was carried, there being only one dissentient.