The Times. PUBLISHED ON TUESDAY AND FRIDAY AFTERNOONS. "We nothing extenuate, nor set down aught in malice." FRIDAY, MAY 10, 1918 THE FARMERS' UNION.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 7, Issue 374, 10 May 1918, Page 2

The Times. PUBLISHED ON TUESDAY AND FRIDAY AFTERNOONS. "We nothing extenuate, nor set down aught in malice." FRIDAY, MAY 10, 1918 THE FARMERS' UNION.

The Order Paper for the eighteenth annual conference of the Farmers' Union for the Auckland Province, which opens on the 27th of this month, contains no less than 93 remits, covering a very wide range of subjects, some being of the most trivial local importance merely, while others, if given effect to, would revolutionise our social and political life. We trust that when the time comes to debate the various items due regard will be given to the necessity of discussing to the full the things that are really vital—even if the result should be that the immaterial matters have to be swept off the agenda-paper. We have on a previous occasion expressed our belief that one of the reasons the Farmers' Union has never held in the public eye the position to which its numerical strength and the importance of the industry it represents should entitle it has been the way in which it has disslpa'ted its powers and weakened the effect of its efforts by dispersing its fighting forces over too wide a field. Until it recognises that to effect reforms it is necessary to disregard everything but essentials and to strive for their attainment with its full weight it will never occupy the position we should like to see it holding. We must admit we are a good deal surprised that although the range of subjects is so wide there is no remit dealing with the | amazingly unfair incidence of the taxation of land under last year's Finance Act. We are convinced I that there is no«other civilized I country in the world where a large j section of the community is taxed ' upon Us debts and we conceive I that a discussion of this matter by the Conference is ot at least as much importance as whether a certain train shall start from Papatoetoe at ln.ln or in. In a.m. The taxation of land-values without any reduction for mortgages owing has been a cruel injustice to many land-holders and we cannot believe that any member of the Conference, except perhaps the one or two single-taxers who would hi glad to see land values confiscated altogether, upholding so pernicious a principle. But if the matter is to be parsed over in

silence, what hope is there of rectifying it ? We tnnst the Conference will recognise the folly of a policy of inaction and bring the subject forward even if it is not upon the Order Paper. For years we have beeo urging an alteration in the system ,of the election of the Provincial Executi_ye so as to make it really representative of the Union. Members generally have for some time recognised that the public utterances of certain members of the Executive have done much to discredit farmers generally in the eyes of the community and have seen that if their reputations are to be rehabilitated they must be enabled to choose for themselves their representatives and spokesmen. Last year the attempts at reform made by the branches were defeated by b§ing remitted to a committee upon which the influence of the Executive preponderated. It is to be hoped that the reformers will not allow themselves to be out-generalled this year, but we insist upon early nominations and members being allowed to vote either direct or through their branches. It has been most disheartening for members in the past to know they were being misrepresented by men they had no opportunity of removing from office and we imagine a direct vote in the election will infuse new life into the branches.

By far the most important items the Conference proposes to deal with are those affecting the Government of the country and Parliamentary representation, It has long been an open secret that some members of the Union desire to have a purely Farmers' Union party in the House and It seems likely that the next general election may see some decided step taken in that direction. The political aspirations of the Union are, however, sufficiently bold and far-reaching to deserve an article to themselves and we hope to deal with the question pretty fully at an early date.