STATE AID TO FARMERS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1445, 22 December 1885, Page 3

STATE AID TO FARMERS.

Ikvercakgill, Dec. 20,

A meeting of tanners, cunvi-n d by Mr P. Dalrymple, was he'd on Saturday, for the purpose of ronstderimg how far it is in the power of the Legislature to render assistance to small farmers and the pastoral industry under the present severe depression. About for;y persons were present.

Mr Dalrymple submitted a petition, which he proposed to forward \o the House of Representatives, in support of Goverumect Joans to farmers at low rates of interest.

Messrs Cowan and Hatch, M.H.R.'s spoke in support of the petition. Messrs G. Dawson, J. Hamilton, and J. Allison, representatives of the class Bought to ba benefited, scouted the idea, however, of Government aid. The first named, « very old Be'tier, said the cause of the depression among fanners was probably'the high rate of interest, but the fan t lay with the farmers themselves. The remedy was in their own hands, by sticking manfully to their wotk, instead of going to Parli«mei t like a lot of beggars craving assistance He ssked the farmers present to have nothing to do with the petition, but to j»o home and work like men, leave drink alone, and all in the end would come right. He knew of farmers that had obtained loans, and instead of expending them on improvements, a large proporth n had gone to swell the pockets of the publicans. Mr Hamilton said in his opinion it would be a disgrace to the farmeis to pet tion Government. They wen too much governed already. What they wanted whs to be ltft slime. If they had pood security they could get cheap money ; if not they must pay dearly for it. If they asked the Government to go to London to borrow for them, the mnnij ulation of this money would swallow up about half of it. The depression was partly caused by the determination of Government to make a* much as possible out of lands and by exorbitant charges on the railways. Mr Allison said hn had been pushed by one depression after another during twenty-two years farming, and although he had not borrowed at any rate of interest he did not believe getting money at five per cent would remove the depression nor|th»t over-production had been the case of it.

A motion adopting the petition was agreed to.