N.Z. FARMERS' UNION CONFERENCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 11 August 1909, Page 6

N.Z. FARMERS' UNION CONFERENCE.

The conference of the Farmers' Union which has recently been held in Wellington should greatly strengthen the hands of the rural representatives in the present Parliament of this Dominion, from the fact that the general policy of the farming community has been clearly ! and forcibly laid before the public. The question of land tenure, which is one of the chief planks in the platform of the Farmers' Union, naturally received a .full share of attention at the Conference, and the necessity for the optional tenure, with right to acquire the freehold of limited areae, was voiced with no uncertain sound. The settlement of waste lands caused an interesting discussion, and the general consensus of opinion of the farmers in conference was that the waete lands of New Zealand should be settled in preference to the purchase by the Goyernmenet of private estates for subdivision ; but while urging the importance of immediately opening up our waste lands, they expressed no desire to interfere in any way with the present Land for Settlement Act. The actual resolution that was carried on this subject invites the Government to consider whether sufficient money could not be raised by the sale* of Crown waste lands to provide for further settlement upon Crown and Native lands under the present Act. This decision of the Conference should have weight in Parliament, as it seems both sensible and practical, for if carried into effect it would provide the Government with the necessary funds to enable it to adopt a vigorous policy of land settlement, which is so much desired just now with a view to inducing some of the increasing population of our cities to become dwellers in the country and useful farmers at that; and what is equally important, place on the land sons -of farmers and others at^ present in country districts. Many other topics of great interest to New Zealand were discussed, such as Land Valuation for instance, a subject that has been freely talked of in Otago during the last few months'; a duty on timber, and Customs duties, this last topic coming in for considerable comment, for the reason that farmer© maybe classed generally as freetraders, their principle invariably being that Customs duties should be levied for revenue producing purposes only, and not merely foT protective purposes in order to bolster up } industries of an artificial nature. That , those engaged in rural pursuits are loyal to a degree was evinced by the unanimity with which the offer of the Dreadnought by the Government to the Mother Country was approved, and that the country is Imperial in sentiment was shown by the decided manner in which the resolution setting out the necessity for compulsory military training was carried. Altogether the Farmers' Union has had a useful and instructive con- i ference, and it U now only to be hoped that the resolutions passed may in the near future become acts in the Statute Books of this Dominion.