MR T E. TAYLOR, MP., AND THE FARMERS' UNION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2895, 8 September 1909, Page 19

MR T E. TAYLOR, MP., AND THE FARMERS' UNION.

(From Our Canterbury Correspondent.) Some few weeks ago Mr T. E. Taylor,. M.P., made some statements at an unemployed meeting in Christchurch regarding the Farmers' Union and the unemployed question, and since their utterance- several branches of the union have taiken Mr Taylor severely to task, one branch going so far as to write to Mr Taylor for an explanation and to ascertain if he had been accurately reported at the unemployed meeting. At a meeting of the- AsKburton branch of the Farmers' "Union on Satuuday, September +, the following letter was read from Mr Taylor: — In reply to your favour, I have not •" copy of th© newspaper report you refer to, but have a clear recollection, of what I said at the meeting of the citizens convened in Christchurch to consider the unemployed question. I .very carefully stated that I was not speaking of tho majority of farmers, but I said that I was convinced that the Farmeire' Union was to-day one of the most extremely, partisan political organisations in New Zealand, and that the handful of farmers who engineer tho affairs of the Farmers' Union were quietly gloating over tho unem- ■ ployed difficulty, because it afforded tihenx an opportunity of reviling the party to which the union, is politically opposed, by. charging the unemployed difficulty againa its policy. I believe both my statements 1 are well founded — namely, (1) That tho New Zealand Farmers' Union, is a partisan political organisation, and (2) that the moving spirits in the union welcome the unemployed difficulty, as affording then* an opportunity of impeaching the administration of the political party they desir<; to depose. Neither statement suggest that members of the Farmers' Union executive are Individually callous to the distress existing through lack of employment. Yoa union is welcome to deny the correctness of the opinions I expressed and which I now repeat. Any expression of opinion from the poli* ■ tical wire-pullers of the Farmers' Unkv' 1 will not in. any degree aTfer my conviction. » The letter was generally discussed, and-. Mr Thomas Capon, a prominent member of the union, moved the following enigmatical motion, which was seconded by Mr W T. Lill, and carried unanimously — "That in the opinion of this committee Mr TaylorV' letter in reply to our letter offers no explanation why (if he did not wish to incite the public against the farmers or the members of the Farmers' Union executive, but against a handful of unnamed farmers) he did not name the individuals he brought: these disgraceful charges against, and not; mention farmers or farmers' union at aIU In any case, he has given no reason. wHy ho introduced t>olitics and mud-slinging at a. nxeeting called for the relief of the unemployed. This committee also believes the" handful of political wire-pullers exist only in Mr Taylor's fertile imagination, and! he having supplied the public with no means of d'fetinguishing between the members and non-members of the union-, the* natural consequence is that his remarks

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San and will be applied to all. Replying to our inquiry fof proof of his statements, Mr Taylor xehearees the articles of his belief. This committee would be interested So know if Mr Taylor's belief, opinions, and ever induced him to bring insulting and disgraceful charges against the moving spirits of the union whose members five and have votes in the towns' If not, .why not? Mr Taylor accused our moving spirits of quietly gloating. Had he kept as quiet he would not have laid himself open to the charge of using the unemployed trouble to blacken the good name of people lie evidently thinks are his political opponents.' Mr Taylor having stated beforefatnd that no expreseior of opinion will •her his convictions, our expression of has opinions will be sent for publication." Having delivered'liimself of "*his lengthy and most extjraordjnarily-wojxJed motion, Mr Capon spoke briefly in support,' and the matter dropped.