The Daily News THURSDAY, MAY 21. THE FARMERS' UNION EXECUTIVE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 128, 21 May 1908, Page 2

The Daily News THURSDAY, MAY 21. THE FARMERS' UNION EXECUTIVE.

When nieniber.s of the farincis' t'nioii ■. have on lestive occasions and general incctiiig- been broiigliL face io lace with tl'icir council, tbey have gin-n exliressiou to views much more UOeral. and, it mi-lit be added, sea-.ible. than tho-e which govern the actions ~f the ex.-culive luMlv. i'.y their (.oiisliliilion, the L-'anneiV't nion i- avowedly a 11■ >•»- pailv organisation, and no doubt s,o Mr a, the great body of it.- members a,e concerned it is m fact non-party, o'l'. the execulive-tlie governing i-ouaeil - ap|icar» to be about the most rabid!;, parlv iiistitiifiou in thi- Dominion, l'ic • programme and the pamphlets wlii-il I com lime to time, have appeared unit -r I he auspices of the council of llic Inion have been partial, exaggerated, aim misleading, evidently designed with n • purpose -ave that of seeking to the party which is controlling the <;.'.;- tiiiics <jf the country. To tile open, unbiassed mind there can be no cjiiestioa that in its endeavors to lind new mar kets for farmers' produce, in seeking reduction of freights, in the purification and improvement of their stock, grading and classification, and in many otlur minor ways, the Government lias he. n sedulous in its efforts to benefit the tanning industry. We feel sure fh'.u the council of the Farmers' Union loss not in any sense represent the views if the majority of the farmers of t.oo country, ami much that emanates -r. m il may justly be regarded as the mere idle ravings of a disappoint* 1 fac lion rendered wild by a knowledge of its own utter impotence. The council of the Fanners' Union has Seen lit to reiterate its demand that the freehold of Crown leases should be Jbi. linalile at the original valuation, .:o iplrl with the following new items:—A'i-di-tion of the graduated land tax; rcp'il of the provision making landholders ;,c

cept for their land resumed the smi: they pay taxation on. From tile h'si the council of the Union has shown itself determinedly opposed to any leaseholds being granted at all. 'i a man did not have siillieiellt capital to enable him to buy the .freehold, then, according, to the council, hi' could not become a fanner. Now, it, is anxious that leasehold- should lie swept away, the State making sueh sa'-rilices to accomplish this purpose that tor all time the word -leasehold" should l'u , breathed with execration. Sueh seems to lie its policy. There are thousands of men in this country daily thanking Oil for Hie leasehold'system that has enabled them to get upon the land. The leasehold has been the steppingstone to the freehold. Both systems, leasehold and freehold, are necessary lu the successful settlement of the land. This fact should be patent to the executive of the Farmers' L'nion. Again, with regard to the graduated property tax. it may be asked—ln what way are the interests of the fanners affected? How many of them are there whose landed property exceed V.,"i0,0(K) in value? How does it happen that this precious council is always to be found endeavoring to shut the don,- in tiie fate, of the; comparatively poor man striving to go upon thi' land, and eager in its defence of the exclusive and the wealthy; Willi.perhaps, the single exception of the Origg estate in South Canterbury, is there line iuilividu.il in this Dominion owning landed properly over U.i 0.000 in value who can properly be called a fanner- a tiller of the soil? Cannot the council of the Farmers' L'nion liml something of prariical advantage to the farming community—their client die which to advocate, instead of troubling itself with the interests of a wealthy section beyond its limitations, w ilh which it has reallv nothing to do? The truth is that the president of the Farmers' I'liiun was once a member of the Legislature, and as such In- was a party man in the strictest sense (l f the word. Jle was a faithful follower of the exclusive parly, whose incapacity and devotion to interests of a class have done so much to retard the progress of this voum:country. As president of the council ol,| fellings of party allegiance have warped his judgment: old tics of association blind him. Cudor his guidance the council has degenerated into a mere election committee, and it has been sought to reduce the farmers as a-body into a mere voting machine. Characteristically the intelligence of the people has been under-rated. The Council may be manipulated, but Mr. Wilson cannot sway the farmers, who have insisted—and who will insist—upon exercising their own judgment. They have stood up before the president manfully protesting, and they may be relied upon to take the ground that they are attending strictly tu their own business, and that any man who possesses £30,000 worth of landed estate should be very well able tu take care of himself.