FARMERS' UNION QUESTIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 October 1919, Page 12

FARMERS' UNION QUESTIONS.

(FOR PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATES. On Thursday the Taranaki provincial executive of the N.Z. Farmers' Union approved of the following questions, recommended by the committee set up at the Dominion Conference, to be submitted to Parliamentary candidates: 1. Are you in favor of the optional system of land tenure? And will you at all times support the granting and maintenance of that tenure? 2. Will you oppose a greater proportion of taxation being imposed on land or incomes deriVed from land than that placed on capital otherwise invested, or on incomes otherwise derived? 3. Will you resist any legislation or action preventing the receipt of tlie market price, unless there .is evidence 6f exploitation or injurious effects of trusts or combines? 4. Will you advocate and l support legislation giving power to prevent force, coercion, or intimidation bein<* used by anyone or any section of the community which would inte.rferc or hiive a tendency to interfere with the free and safe carrying on of any lawful work, following or occupation? 5. Will you be in favor of legislation heing at once enacted providing for the seven remaining heftds not already legislated for as suggested by the N.Z. Parliamentary Committee in their report made in October, 1917, i n order to keep the meat and shipping trusts .from getting a stranglehold of New Zealand industries, viz.: (1) To control monopolies.

(2) To prevent unfair trading by freezing companies and shipping companies. (3) To deal with shipping companies as common carriers. (4) To make the charges of such carriers just and reasonable. (5) To prevent, undue preference. (6) To prohibit pooling of freights and earn ings. (7) To provide that common carriers shall print and exhibit schedules of all rates and charges. R. Will you oppose .'tluj railway tariff heing used for the purposes of protection ? The president (Mr R. Dunn): There is no compulsion to get members of the Union to vote for any single candidate. These questions will be submitted to the various candidates, and their replies, which will be in writing will be handed to the press for publication. Then w 0 «;i'l 'cave it to the individual to decide -/iich of t.he candidates has answered the questions satisfactorily in the hest interests of the farmers. It was decided that the questions be circularised among all the candidates in the various Taranaki electorates, and that the replies should b'e in bv November 17, the next meeting- of the nrovincial executive.—Star.