TARANAKI BY-ELECTION.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 October 1918, Page 6

TARANAKI BY-ELECTION.

To the Editor, Sir,—l see there is going to be a big contest for the Taranaki seat at the coming by-election between Mr Connett anl Mr Smith. Mr Connett might be ail excellent man himself, but surely the Taranaki dairy farmers ought to have had enough of the National Gijvernmeht by this time. The Government that made the rich man in England at least a concession of eightpence per lb "of the struggling farmert butter also made the rich man in New Zealand a like concession. Are the small dairy farmers going to support the 'Prime Minister, who boasted that he would do as he liked with the small fanners' butter? Are the people of New- Plymouth going to support the party who deluded them at last election witfo the promise of a grant for building the High School, and then withdrew it when the election was over? Are the small farmers of Taranaki going to support a Government who imposed a tax on the debt they owe in the shape of taxing them on the mortgage they had on their farms? Are the people of Taranaki going to support a Government who exempts the rich man, such as Bo:tliAv ; 'k, Laidlaw Leeds, McDonnell and others because they are rich whilst a poor widow woman's son i 3 conscripted without the least consideration? Are the poor struggling fanners of Taranaki going to support a Government which exempted the wealth of the rich man from income tax? Are the poor, struggling, hard-working farmers of Taranaki going to support a party which left no stone unturned to get the Ihighest price for the | rich farmer's meat anil wool while at the same time they singled out the poor man's butter for reduction? If they do, j it shows that the buttiir man is well satj isfied with arrangement. There is another season starting now, and perhaps Mr Massey has given some pledges to those great men at Home to | supply them cheaper still for the coming | season. My own opinion is that it would |be to the a'dvantage of the people of Taranaki to support Mr Smith. His father proved himself to be the best member Taranaki had, although the son, in my opinion, is far an abler politician, and, apart from anything else, we all or most of us are working men, whether on a farm, in a or office, or working with the pick and shovel, and therefore

it is to our interest to get men to represent us who understand our position. We had 45 members representing farmers last and what did they do? Forty out of forty-five of them voted to fix tlie small farmer for the mortgage he had on iliisvfarm, and for which he was paying a high rate of interest in many cases, and at the same time voted for the abolition' of the mortgage tax which the rich man paid formerly. This proves how advantageous it is for the rich man to get a ricfo farmer into (Parliament. —I am, etc., ;■?> - ETOHN BIGGINS. iEglewood. ' (Much of this criticism may he justified, hut our correspondent does not mention the important fact that hut for the measures taken by the Government the dairy farmers may not have hail payment at all for their dairy produce. As it is, they have not been seriously disadvantaged by the war, in regard, at any rate, to the prices secured. Where would the farmers have been had it not been for the arrangements made in regard to shipping and finance with the Imperial Government? There is a second important fact to bear in mind, and it is that the Government, deficient as it has bee.n in many acts of administration, has done its duty in connection with the war in a manner that must appeal to all patriots, of whatever political color, and earned for jSfew Zealand a name that will throw lustre upon it

through the ages. The Military Service Act, it may be added, was strenuously resisted by the Laibor extremists in the House, and in the country by such extremists as Mr. John Diggins a fact which explains the above effu-sion.Ed-ii 1