The Daily News, SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 1901. PROPOSED FARMERS' UNION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXIII, Issue 82, 27 April 1901, Page 2

The Daily News, SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 1901. PROPOSED FARMERS' UNION.

The movement tbat is on foot to form branches ef what is termed the New Zealand Farmers' Uniom is one that deserves the thoughtful consideration of every one in Taranaki, While we are strong advocates ef unity an i cooperation amongat our farming community, our farmers must be pirtionlarly careful that they do not do any thing calculated to injure or destroy the fundamental principles that underlie and are indeed the mainsprings of the prosperity which they now enjeoy. The organisation which has been formed in Auckland and is attempting to organise branches throughout the North Island has a flavour which smacks very strongly of the defunct " Liberty League" alias " National Association " which existed for the express purpose ef overturning the present Liberal Government. Judging by the extraordinary production which appeared in our Friday morning's issue nnder the signature cf Arthur O. Glass organising Sscretary of the New Zra!and Farmers' Union, we should say he wa» br«d on tho same lines aa the orfnnising agents of the above League. 7e' : d# : riot propose to discuss Mr Glass' letter, we prefer to Ifave it to stand as a monument of the amount of twaddle ego! ism and abuse that it is possible to squeeze into a column of printed matter. Our object in writing is to advise fa; mere to study very carefully the platform of the proposed union. As is usually the case this is drawn up on very plausable lines while containing a great deal that is very desirable and sound, it also strikes at the very root of the land policy of the Liberal administration, Is would practically overthrow tho splendid land laws which the Hon. J. McKenzie has made it his Ufa long work to place on the Statute Book of the colony; land laws which are the admiration of the civilised world and which are largely responsible for the great meature of prosperity the colony now enjoys, The object of the union is to kill the leasehold system and give Crown leaseholder B the right to purchase at any time, thus bringing about all the evils of dummyism, land speculation, and eventually the alienation from the Grown of the land now held under If ase in perpetuity. Another proposal is tbat no 1 nd is ' o bo purchased by the government while Crown or native lands are available. This is a direct blow at the Lands for Settlement Act, ait Act which, it is admitted, has been of incalou'able bweflt to the colony, particularly in the South Island, where Bons ef fanners were being driven

from the home of their birth while ' thousands of acres, close to their homes, ' were being used as sheep walks. Why . the history of the Cheviot Estate alone should silence for ever anyjopposition to that bsnePcient act. Then the ucion ; is anxious (o abolish the pre-emptive right of the Governmens in native lands. Taranaki has suffered enough in the past through private speculation in native lands for farmers that have lived here any time to seriously entertain such! a proposal, but to newcomers we would point out that such a policy would be ruinous to the natives and result in their land passing into the hands of speculators, We might go on to give other instances of the retrograde nature of the proposals of the proposed union and the netd of cara on ths part ef farmers that they do not give their adherence to propo»als which are of an exceedingly Jangerous nature. There are hundreds of ways in which farmers may uDite for their mutual benefit without being tied to the chariot wheels of those who are really the enemy ef the true farmer but who would use them to further political ends. At Stratford an attempt by one farmer ta get information regarding the aims and objects of the Union led to an attempt to vielintly eject him from a mieting showing the sort of liberty the Union is prepared to grant to those who differ from it.