FARMERS IN POLITICS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4411, 8 May 1922, Page 2

FARMERS IN POLITICS.

COUNTRY PARTY’S ADIS. SPEECH BY CAPTAIN COLBECK. The aims and ideals of the Cpuntry Party were put before the larjge attendance of Farmers’ Union members in the Netherton Hall on Saturday evening by Captain F. Colbeck, the Farmers’ candidate for the Ohinemuri seat. Expressing the reasons why there should be a Country Party, Captain Colbeck said no new thing could be started without injuring some other party, but they all had to look ajfjter their own interests. He maintained that it was of litlte use the farmers being divided among three parties. There, were 27 farmers represented in Parliament, but they were made to vote witli their party. The famer had no voice in the House, and it was the aim of the Union to see that the Mariners had at least one voice. He deprecated the Government’s action, with reference to the butter, subsidies and the embargo on hides. These actions hai been against farmers’ interests and none of the farmers in Parliament bad objected. It h,ad often been said that the Farmers’ Union had been doing nothing, but it had done quite a lot recently. It had been the means of obtaining l%d per lb oil the pi'ice of beef. The high cost of production, high freights, high taxes, and highi rate for money was detrimental at tlie present time. It .would be better, he continued, for the Workers to accept half the wages and- all be in work than half to receive the award wages and the other half be out of work. The speaker was hot against Unionism, but the weak points of unionism were that small potatoes would receive the same price as the large potatoes, and the same price be obtained for inferior cheese as for good cheese. A bad worker was entitled to the same wages as a good one, and the good worker, seeipg tfeat his male was not doing as much as he, would set himself out to do no more than his mate. The result was that the efficiency of labour was decreasing. To illustrate his point, he quoted figures from the Wellington waterfront. Some years ago a worker in eight hours moved 9-8 tons, and the latest figures were. 6.5~t0ns in the same peribl, with a 100 per cent, increase in wages on the top of that. With the respit of the increase of labour the pt ice of sending meat Home had risen from l%d to over 4d per lb. Taxation per head had risen from £5 10s Id to" £l9 17s 2d, and taking an average of five children to a family ■the t3,x had risen from a little over £27 per family to over £99. The in,ereass in taxation was. not entirely due to the war. - While the debts had increased the incomes had increase! much more. The taxation had risen enormously since the war. Speaking of railways, beck said that .two-thi’^te^jagiffie®land

tax A\\is.J,aken^rp‘W < 'pay the interest The railways were 'not paying, and the Government was trying a lot pE ways to make them pay. He suggested that a lesson could be learned from Mr Henry Ford, the motor- car maker, who bought a railway. He was ridiculed by the newspapers, who called it a “rotten railway” and “two streaks of rust.” For every £lOO revenue £ll7 had been spent on it. Mr Ford -had got to work, reduced the staff, raised the wages, and reduced the freights. Within four months he had made £100,000.’ The speaker attacked the administration of the Post and Telegraph Department, saying that the staff had increased by over 2000, and there ha-1 been an all-rpund decrease of w’ork. He said that it was dangerous the ease with which, the public bodies were getting money at. the present time. It was a bad thing for a country tb have a- surplus. Speaking of agricultural banks, Captain Colbeck said the banks were started by a sum of money being given by .the Government on interest. The farmers were then asked to subr scribe. Committees were formed and loans were issued up to 60 pen cent, of the value pf. the property. Bonds were issued and calls were made on the bank. Loans could also be made on stock and crops. The agricultural banks in Germany had only lost l-55th of the losses of other lending concerns, and these banks had been lending money at 3 per cent. Referring to .the shipping difficulties during the .war, he said that the shipping companies had made concessions to the farmers when the companies saw that there was a possibility of legislation against them. “The farmers can have anything they want,” he said, “as long as they all ask together.” If the farmers’ candidates were elected in December, he continued, they would go to Wellington in only the farmers’ interests. The farmers were going to have at least a chance to have themselves represented in Parliament. The speaker resumed his seat amids- applause. Questions were invited. THAMES ELECTORATE. Mr J. Carter said that though the present Government was much criticised they were a farmers’ party. He thought it might. weaken the present Government by turning out the Government, candidate and letting Labour in. He asked if it was defin-, ite that Mr Ross-was going to contest the Thames electorate. He thought it would not be in the best interests of the farmers to directly oppose th’e Government.

Captain Colbeck said it was definitely decided to contest the Thames seat. The Farmers’ Party recognised no party. He thought the farmers’ candidates would get votes from , all three parties. He knew Mr Massey had stated that we was a friend of the farmer, but his abtions had not proved it. The Country Party was out.for the farmer, and the farmer only. If the farmers would not support. the movement the Farmers’ Union would be the laughing stock of New Zealand.

TRIBUTES TO CANDIDATES. Mr Considine said Captain Colbeck

was a straightforward and uprignt man, and quite fit to represent the farmers for the Ohinemuri seat. Ha also thought Mr Poland was a goodman. There would be two good men fighting for the farmers .in Ohinemuri.

On the motion of the. chairman, Mr G. Death, a hearty vote of thanks was passed to Captain Colbeck for ably putting his views before the meeting. He knew Captain Colbeck would, do his best for the' farmers. The warm applause was an indication of ths feeling of .the" meeting. A hearty vote of thanks was similarly passed to MV McAlpine, the organiser.