FARMERS AND POLITICS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1591, 23 October 1905, Page 3

FARMERS AND POLITICS.

MR BIRRELL IN REPLY. I ''Before the mooting separates,” said I Mr B. M. Birrell at the meeting of the I Gisborne branch of the Farmers' Union lon Saturday, " I have a word or two to j say. It is very unfair that one individual member should bo singled out by the executive to be hold up as a black sheep. II was held up as a ' blaokie ’at that meeting, and apparently am the only one of the Union. If Mr Chambers believes that he has a eapaoity for swallowing a groat deal. I can toll him in regard to my bolors that I will he In very good com' , pany, and if he thinks I am the only ono he will be mnoli mistaken. He ought to have let that subjeot alone. He has been running his candidate for weeks. What qualifications has that oandidate got ? If I we are to be hound by rules there is only | cne candidate for farmers, and that is Mr I

Wall. [Mr Gallagher: A good man, too.] Ho Is a farmer; the other man Is not even a Farmers’ Union man, though wo may bo told he is tho secretary of a union. Talk about rules 1 This ib trampling on rules altogether. The obairman and myself have tried to keep this union out of polilios, but they will not lot □3. They would like us to saorifioe our

opinions which we have perhaps held from obildhood. They have beau following Mr Wall with all the persecution possible for a candidate to moot. They went from the distrlot where the other candidate’s ' strong man is

in power, even following Mr Wall to

his home at Waerenga o-kuri to harass him. There is uo unity in that, and there never will be nnity. (A voioe : " True.”)

The rules of the btanohes are being trampled on all the time. They only want to use us; they want to resurrect that long-eared political hybrid that was bnried years ago. (Laughter.) The Chairman interposed at this stager and asked the speaker to keep to the subjeot.

Continuing, Mr Birrell protested against being singled oat in saoh a way by Mr Chambers. Althongh he was ohairman of Mr Carroll’s committee, he did not go trying to foroe him on to Mr Chambers ; bat ho was not going to snrrender his privileges. They should let eaoh man please himsolf how he voted. The Chairman: Will you move any

resolution? Mr Birrell: I move that this branoh

keep out of polities—l moved that before. Mr Ewen Cameron : I beg to second it. The Chairman : You mean that questions should bo asked of candidates, but

that the delegates be asked not to make

any selection—just to leave it to the good

sense of members how they vote ?

Mr Birrell: We have enlisted members nnder false pretences, because we stated that this was a non-political body, and now it turns out that it is a political body. Several members have been allowed to join under false pretenoes. The Chairman : I don’t think that, Mr Birrell : It should have been kept ont ol politics altogether.

Mr Cameron : And it wonld be mnoh better.

Mr Gallagher: You oannot do that. Mr Steele: You oannot possibly keep away from politics.

Mr Gallagher: If the farmers arc to bo representative they are not going to sit

Mr Steele; Are yon speaking about running a oandidate ?

Mr Birrell : Yes. “ That is a different thing,” said Msesrs Gallagher and Steele together, Mr Steele : Who is propasing it ? Mr Birrell : They are canning a candidate already. ■

Mr Gallagher: They are getting a leg

Mr Birrell: I have never attempted to ran Mr Oa.rroll in thia Union. The Chairman agreed that it was inadvisable for the Union to enter into party politics at thia stage, They had up to the present no real grievance against ihs Government or Member. Directly a grievance did arise it would be neceseay to enter into party politics, and he would be one to do that when a grievance did arise. At present it was not advisable for the/Union to enter into party politics. Mr Gallagher: Or seek a change.

The Chairman : We are leaving that to individuals each to vote for the man he thinks best. We are too weak to enter into party politics. Mr Birrell said that two years ago the Union’s membership was been 600 and 700, bnt it had dwindled down to 270, and what chaDce had they now in entering into party politics ? The motion was oarried unanimously that the candidates should be asked questions, and that it should be left to members individually which candidate they would vote for.