DRASTIC ACTION

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 392, 29 November 1932, Page 7

DRASTIC ACTION

farmers restive ROTORUA EXECUTIYE OF UNION EXPRESSES STRONG YIEWS. DEPUTATION TO PARLIAMENT. The econoanie situation as it affected farmers was thoroughly discussed by a full meeting of the Rotorua suhprovincial branch of th'e New Zealand Farmers' Union held at Matamata last weelc. A unanimous desire was expressed for definits and drastie action, but when it came to instructing the sec- j retary as to the action to talce, how- | ever, there was lack of constructive proposals, and eventually the matter was left in the secretary's hands. Mr. D. B. Higgins' Yiews. Mr. D. B. Higgins introduced the subject, following mention of resignations from the union, holding the reason for the resignations was the inactivity of the union. From this charge he excepted the Auckland executive, which he considered had done everything possible. However, he thought the time had arrived for more drastie action. He moved that the executive urge the Auckland executive to organise a big deputation to go to W ullington with a view to placing the precarious position of farmers before Parliament from the floor of the House if possible. Mr. Martin (Rotorua) seconded the motion. Continuing, Mr. Higgins said that if they waited until the dairyfarmer was in the same position as the woolgrower, New Zealand would he in a very parlous position. There was no one more capable of framing a letter to Cahinet Ministers than the secretary, yet what was the result? The last reply was sheer minrepresentation on the part of the Minister of Agriculture. They had to take a stand and place their case before the House. | The Crisis in Butter Market. I Mr. Watkins said that undoubtedly there was a crisis. They thought that they were harcl hit when butter dropped to 120s, but it was now down to 88s, and many of them would not be able to survive. Mr. Martin said that farmers never ; wanted to interfere with the exehange 1 rate. What they wanted was a free exehange. Previously the exehange was pegged and now that they thought farmers wanted a high exehange, these same people who had pegged the rate i-aised a howl. There was too much interference with farm- : ers' business when it came to finance. He felt that after what had happened in Wellington these last few days that something should be done. Mr. W. H. Allen supported the pro- ; posal. He thought the exehange question should be left alone, and they should go bald-headed for currency reform. If they increased the exehange then the tariff should come down in proportion. Mr. II. Naylor said they heard much about putting new settlers on the land, but what was wanted was measures to keep on the land those who were already there. Warning Given Years Ago. | The provincial secretary, Mr. A. E. ' Robinson, said that nothing had hap- | pened to-day but what was forecast ] in Auckland by the executive five years ago. This was on record in | metropolitan papers. They were only ! able to spealc for farmers and had no executive power.J Hp believed Mr. | McLeod, M.P., was a hetter man than ■ he said he was. However, they could j only judge him by what he said, which was that some members would have to ' make themselves good with their con- j stituents. This could only mean that party came first. He believed that Mr. McLeon meant well hut he had a poor way of going about matters. M.P's Too Docile. The House was too docile to accept j their suggestion of reform and would do as they were told by their leaders. : Members would not move unless they | were assured oi their seats or a seat j in the Cabinet. They had the Prime j Ministers saying he knew nothing j about currency reform, yet he was handling the Central Bank Bill. Why did not Mr. McLeod take his sugges- ; tion of a high exehange rate to a caucus of the Coalition Party, where these matters should he threshed out? It was simply because he h'ad been told a method of procedure which would not wreck a Government which had been elected to put through the Niemeyer Bill. What the country was ; going to get was just what the finan- 1 cial authorities wanted it to have. , They had in Parliament a lot of docile i members who looked after their own interests in preference to the interests of their constituents. The bottom of the outter market had hy no means been reached, and he was certain. that there was a worse market to come. Exehange Always "Rigged." The exehange market had always been rigged. It did not depend on the law of supply and demand, but solely what the banks wanted it to he. They had to do something after Ottawa, and the Government would shelter behind a board which would me set up to consider reductions in tariff. Farmers paid everything, and if charges were increased their costs would go up. He was satisfied there would be serious trouble before 12 months were out unless there was a fundamental alteration in the lines of Government. There was six times as much' butter exported and a 50 per cent. increase in other lines in the last 10 years. To understand the position they had to get rid of money figures from their mind. Money was' simply a measure of value which was constantly changing. Aetually they were ssnding more goods out of the country and receiving more goods in return than ever before. Therefore there was no reason why they should he getting less returns than they formerly did. The sole reason was that some people were fooling about with the measuring figures. They had been landed in mess because of a loss of internal purchasing power. People who had lived by handling goods wero more numerous than producers, and these people were mostly out of work. The wh'ole suhject was wrapped up in currency reform. There was a shortage

trouble in New Zealand was the same | as in other countries, and it was due ; ; to worship o-f the money fetish. They should have a much increased return i 1 per capita than they got. To say that j i other countries were in as big a mess j i was simply to say they were as big j fools as we were. Surely they had | enough common sense to managei their I own affairs. A deputation would ! never he allowed on the floor of the House. Need for Soitue Action. Mr. Higgins thought action was the . only thing which would make anyone j take notice. Mr. Robinson: What kind of action? | Mr. Higgins said th'e life-blood was ! being sucked out of farmers. They were nothing but bullocks, yet they were told they were on the box seat. It was all very well to say that they should get men in Parliament, hut that would take three or four years. Mr. Watkins said that if one dairy farmer walked off, 20,000 would he liable to walk off within six months. Unless they had a denfinite scheme to put up they would get nowhere. Mr. W. H. Allen. Currency reform is our solution. Mr. Martin said the two sections in trouble wena th'e exporter and the importer. The manufacturer was in clover in comparison, hut all would be in trouble shortly and only the banks and the insuranee companies would be doing well. Mr. Robinson remarked that all their securities wene passing over to those financial institutions. Mr. Robinson said that ia recent deputation iasked sin^ply for an enquiry into the present monetary system, but he was satisfied that the Government dane not grant the' request, They could imagine the general manager of the Biank of New Zealand before such an enquiry. Th'e whole box of baans would he spilt. The motion was then put and earried unanimously. Inefficiency of Parliament. The meeting also decided to endorse a resolution passed by the ^nuthern ; Thames sub-provincial hraneh, which read las follows: — "This executive endorse s the speech of Captain Rushworth, M.P., dealing with inefficiency of the present Parlia-