FARMERS AND POLITICS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4517, 19 January 1923, Page 2

FARMERS AND POLITICS.

CAPTAIN COLBECK S VIEWSt A DISAPPOINTED MAN. Captain F. Cplbeck, who was selected to contest the Ohinemuri seat.at t'he recent election, but was not nominated owing to the withdrawal of the Farmers’ party, is deeply disappointed at the way farmers treat their leaders. In expressing his views to an exchange reporter Captain Colbeck handed him a copy of an article which expressed his sentiments. The article referred to contained tlhe following :— AMUSED. “You farmers amuse me. . . ■ You are a great people—potentially great —but the biggest set of fools in the world. You have more power and make less use of.it than any other class in the world. . You imagine sometimes you are going to co-operate, but sooner or later you make a mess of it. Some of your friends have worn their lives' out trying to get you to co-operate, but failed. . . . You are not loyal to each other—there is your weak place. Half of you can be bribed with a MESS OF POTTAGE to desert your own cause and imagine you are doing a good thing. You are suspicious. It is easy to sow the seed of discord among you. No, you won’t stick together. . . . You’ve been told the old fairy tale about the prices being controlled by the law 005 supply and demand until you have believed it, like children believe in Santa Claus. Sometimes your tactics are pathetic, sometimes ridiculous, sometimes dashing, but nearly always amusing. . . . You consult your immediate convenience ‘.ten thousand times where you consider your ultimate benefit to yourself and class but once. . . . Ba: you are too close-fisted, suspicious,- and treacherous for me to cast in my lot with you. You treat your leaders .top shabbily.”