Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, JULY 15, 1902. Over Representation.

Manawatu Herald, 15 July 1902, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, JULY 15, 1902. Over Representation.

An esteemed correspondent sends us a cutting from an opposition paper relating to the Farmers’ Unions and over representation. That farmers should unite to forward their interests is a matter much to be wished but that a milennium will follow from their having made such a start is extremely doubtful. To those who have watched the course of politics in this colony cannot but have noticed, with regret, the extreme apathy with which the farming class have ever paid to politics, and there appears to be some reason to fear that they are being exploited by some for outside purposes. To begin with there has been no life in the organisation until the approach of the coming election, and we fear before another election takes place the Unions will be wanting. Wo are in favour of Unions provided they attend to the business they are interested in, but the Conference, recently held, shows that many members mistake the purposes of unity and fancy they are called, if not to lick creation, at any rate to pnt the colony in the way the members think the Ministers should go. There is a very general leaning on the part of all the members to discuss general politics, and they like the idea of belonging to a Farmers’ parliament instead of being members of the useful Union. The trouble which will arise from this is imminent, some members being strong supporters of the Government, whilst others would support the Opposition, if they can find one, and though at times a word of warning is raised j within the Union to keep off politics, j members when finding it difficult to I frame a platform to test the views of I candidates, will let the Union go I when times become exciting. We I fear that the over anxiousness of farmers to become too powerful all at once, will lead to the same result that befel the frog when he tried to swell big as the bull. < We come now to the chronicled fact that one farmer in Auckland has discovered we are over represented. In that be had no very difficult task, and according to the mere figures we are enormously oyer represented in comparison with larger countries. It appears, however, to suit the people, and if they are pleased, being the paymasters, no one else can complain. At any rate this unfortunate Auckland farmer appears to ba in a minority, and the farmers’ Union has possibly many other more important self-interests to attend to than that of putting the whole of the electorates of the colony straight. Their ideas may be right but the choice of weapons with which to fight seems wrong. The Union as yet has had ho experience, and has gained no fixity of tenure, and the laws have placed much better means at hand to secure economy. Every member of, parliament is the product of tho majority of his elcc : torate, and the members attached to each electorate has either by action er his complaisance with some one else’s action, unless ha can show ho has objected to it or approved of each proportion. The increase in the honorarium was the direct vote of the members themselves. If all this is really objected to by the voters they have the remedy in their hands at the coming election, which will be much more powerful and efficacious than any number of resolutions from a farmers’ debating club. The Farmers’ Union appears desirous of teaching the voters what they should do, though farmers ought to have learnt by personal experience that voters belonging to any other business but theirs, have been more wide awake and attentive to their wants than these latter day apostles of pure government.