FACERS’ ORGANISATION.

Otaki Mail, 21 June 1922, Page 3

FACERS’ ORGANISATION.

1 THE NEEDS AND FUTURE. I ADDRESS BY MR POLSON. I An inspiring address by the D.oruin- | ion President of the New Zealand I Farmers’ Union, Mr AV. J. Poison, was I delivered at the recent Conference at j Wanganui. The speech was listened to with rapt attnetion, though well intorI persed with hearty applause. Mr Poison made a great plea for the co-opera-tion of all farmers in their struggle for a just reward for their labours. Times had never been more critical than the present and never had their been greatneed for a strong and unanimous Ution embracing all farmers, In introducing Mr Poison to the conference. the president, Mr Morrison, made very flattering references to the j services which Mr Poison had given to the farming community, referring to his 'Teat ability and to his untiring energy in visiting every part of New Zealand at his own expense. AGRICULTURAL BANK COMING. Mr Poison was heartily applauded on rising to speak. lie began by saying a few words about tho work of the Union •luring the past 20 years. It ‘had, ... done an enormous amount ot u ur!i of which the majority of farmers know very little of what was being done, but he was in a position to say that the Government was now in communication with tile Union regarding any possible Bill which would be brought down. Yi’hcu an agricultural bank wu a tut accomplished fact few ■ would realise wluit part the Union had played in'bringing it about. It would have done nu enormous amount of work • for which it would never be fully thanked, by farmers in conference or in the public Press. CO-OPERATION AND POOLING. Proceeding to the question of co-ope-ration. he referred to the four planks — handling, shipping, marketing, and financing of .farmers produce. The Union was’not launching out on an experimeut in asking for co-operation. It was only following tlic lead of European countries which were linked together in a huge co-operation federation which was of great benefit to the producers and doing things which New Zealand farmers did not realise. America to-day realised fully the absolute necessity of establishing-co-operation among, the producers. It had been found thai for the -10 leading commodities on the farm the farmer had boon paying a higher rate than ho received for liis leading products, so that the American farmer came to realise the need for cooperation and every branch of fanning was now included. There was a compulsory pooling system. The American Farm Grower’s Federation eschewed politics altogether. It found it could <.-;iiu its object much better than if- it went into politics. The New Zealand farmer would do better too than go m for ‘class’ politics. (Applause). ■’MEAT POOL AND COMPULSION. lie claimed that the Farmers’ Union had more to do with the establishment of the. Meat Pool than any politician. It had doubted if the Government would 'make it compulsory ail'd bad looked for other means, but while the Government, realised that it was uee.essarv it had given the opinion to the Board. “Here is where the Act is going to fail, if it does fail, for tho Board has been given the power to make it compulsory if it thinks lit,” said Mr Poison. Souse of the present Board dul not favor compulsion, he said,, and it. was up to the Union to see that its desires were not thwarted and it should take tho necessary steps during the coming session to see that compulsion was applied. The other questions—shipping and finance—would not succeed unless compulsion were appliei • The Trusts had to be fought. Unless the Trusts and the speculators were cut out they would come, in and take the cream and leave the rest for the pool, which would at once become drscredrt!,,d nn a away would got the voluntary I pool. With a compulsory . pool, they could dictate to the shipping. DAIRY produce pool. Speaking on the dairying side of the pool Mr Poison said tho organisations were engaged in bringing about a pool and had the Farmers’ Union’s blessing in so doing. Lord Northeliffc, when in Auckland, had asked why the British j could not get such good but ter at Home. 1 AVe produce the best butter in the world, said Mr Poison. The Danes had to feed their stock for eight or nine month's of the year so that in spite of our handicap of distance New Zealand could put a better article on the market While Lord Nortlicliffe was speaking in New Zealand, New Zealand butter went up in price in London. Danish butter had always brought higher prices than New Zealand. The Danes were able to get the extra price because ! they had co-operation. The London I merchant had suddenly discovered Neyr I Zealand butter was nearly as good as ’Danish and up went the price. It was j peculiar that this was not found out 1 till there was talk of a pool. The [ London merchant must think the New Zealand farmer was pretty green, said Mr Poison, for we knew that tho merchant had been blending our butter j with others and then selling it as the ! best. | COMPETITION FIGHT. ! It must bo apparent to those studyI ing the situation that there must be very severe competition in the future. The Danish Consul had pointed out that Siberian butter was coming back on to the British market. It bod been out entirely since the beginning of the war. With the Genoa Conference on, it seemi ed there was a prospect of Siberia coming back into its own in a few years’ time. Britain at the present time was consuming more butter and cheese than prewar, and Siberia had still to come back. There would be intense competition and the New Zealand fanner

would have to organise, have high class farming, and economy at the other .end, if we were to succeed. HEAVY TAXATION. New Zealand had to have lower costs of production in many ways. There had been a taxation commission set up. The reduction of taxation was a policy matter, but anomalies could be removed. Tho Union had nominated three of the commissioners, and they were .specially good men: Messrs Leigh Hunt, E. A. Campbell, and Bitcliener, M.P. The Union was asking lhat farmers’] incomes should be assessed just as business men’s are, one profit set off against a loss, etc. A good suggestion had been made in Taranaki. That was that if a loss were made one year it should bo set off against the next year’s profit. It was a fairer way than the present. The Union recognised, that farmers were not the only victims of taxation and were not going to Wellington to ask for any nonsensical request. They should sot their Dices against any cranky scheme and only ask for what was fair and reasonable. ’WAKE BOLSHEVIKS. In New Zealand wc had a Bolshevik organisation which was seeking by double-edged proposals *o bring relief to a certain section, and to disrupt the farmers. Mr Poison proceeded to refer tu the movement among dairy farmers and slated that an organiser had been in this district in the last few weeks trying to form another union, The object of this scheme was not thoroughly understood, said Mr Poison. It came into being soon after something was said about an effort by Labour to effect a coup d’tat. it sprang up at the door of a man who was in sympathy with Labour and it was curious that it sprang up after the farmers had declared themselves for law and order. The organiser was stating that he was meeting with great success, but as a matter of fact only one branch of tho dairy farmers’ Union had been formed in Taranaki. It hud eight members and not one hail paid his subscription. It was somewhat similar in the A\ Taikato. “Before you have anything to do with the Dairy Farmers’ Union,” declared Mr Poison in' conclusion, “investigate it pretty closely. It is seeking to split up the Farmers’ Union.” PRESENT BANKING SYSTEM CRACKED. The Union was out for an Agricultural Bank such as they hud in Denmark, United States of America, Germany, and other places. New Zealand J lacked financial machinery such as! I hose other places enjoyed, for tho Now Zealand banking system had cracked under the strain of the last 12 months. There was every probability that a Bill would be brought down next session dealing with agricultural banking. The Bill would be properly scrutinised by the Farmers’ Union before being up-! proved. Had we had such a bank now, said Mr Poison, farmers would have been able to hold on to their wool instead of having to sacrifice it. A penny a pound on wool meant a million to the country. TRADE AVITH THE EAST. Mr Poison went on to refer to trade with the East. Commissioners had recently gone to the East where an enormous trade could be done. The people lived there on wluit came out of cold store. There were -10,000,000 in Java alone. But lie considered there was little good in sending Trade Commissioners until they had, shipping. Other countries were subsidising shipping and New Zealand would have to do the same with State ships. FIGHT I’OR EXISTENCE. In concluding, Mr Poison said that never had greater issues been at stake it was never more important to see eye to eye than now. New Zealand had a great handicap in the enormous distance by sea from her markets, and/ fierce competition which could only be combated by co-operation. New Zealand farmers had to adopt the policy of the farmers of U.S.A. All New Zealand farmers should support the Union. Those who now belonged to it should all help on the light in which they were engaged. (Prolonged applause). FOR NEAV ZEALAND’S BENEFIT. Mr Morrison, the President, thanked the Dominion President for the constructive policy he had put forward. It was a policy which would be a benefit not only to the farmers but to the whole of New Zealand for anything, that benefited the farmers of the Dominion. Mr Matheson moved a hearty vote of thanks, said the President had made a lighting speech and the farmers of the Dominion should stand by him. It was a speech whose frankness would impress not only the farmer but the townsman. Even professional men were grossly ignorant of the farmers I position. He moved: “This Welling-j ton-AA T airarapa Conference, having ‘ heard with pleasure our Dominion Pro- ( sident's address on the general policy { of our Union, wishes to express our approval and our intention to sec his pro- j posals carried through the Dominion . Conference right into action and. I achievement.” The motion was carried amid great acclamation. 1