The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1890. FARMERS' UNION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2006, 11 February 1890, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1890. FARMERS' UNION.

This is the age of Unions. The latest addition to Unionism is that of the Farmers' Union. We have received from this Union a funny document, which shows on its face in good bold letters that it is a circular. Only for this we would not know what to call it. It bears no date; it does not appear to have either a secretary or an office, for it has been sent from nowhere and it has no address. The only thing that gives ua any clue to its origin is that it is signed G-. M. Bell, President. Everyone must know who Mr Bell is, so there need bo no more said About it. The management of this Union, according to the circular, is vested in the President (Mr G. m! Bell), the Vice-President (Mr James Green), the Treasurer (Mr Cormac), and the Executive Committee (Messrs Donald Borrie and William Christie). The Tooley-atreet tailors had a committee of three, but the New Zealand Farmers' Union has a committee of only two, independent of the august personages who occupy the chair and collar the money, Unintelligible as the information so far is, the aims and objects of the Union are still more inacrutable in many respects. So that our readers can fully en-joy the fun, we give the language of the circular so far as we shall quote from it. The opening paragraph is as follows : "The executive of the Farmers' Union request your club to call the attention of the M.H.R. of your district to the various resolution* p;i 3 sed at the conference held in Dunedin in December last and more particularly to the two resolutions relating to railway management and the amendment of the Kabbit Ac'." The following is the list of resolutions : 1. Amalgamation of Farmers' Clubs and formation of Union. 2. Reduction of railway chargoa on stock, etc. ° 3. Abolition of duty on agricultural and other implements. 4 Amendment of Rabbit Act That thellabbit Act be amended as follews • - J-hat the inspector, before taking summary proceedings, i Dßpßct the lef » e plained of with the owner and a witness to be appointed by the inspector and the owner, »nd tint the c.se be decided on he evidence; and that rabbit-proof fencing be included in the Fencing Act and that the Rabbit Act be amended „' such » way as to giva effect to these resolutions." 10H0 5. Intercolonial Froetrade. 6. Nominated immigration. 7. Executive committee. 8. Co-operation. 9. Political representation.

10. Sun Francisco mail service. 11. Distilleries. 12. Dairying industries. 14. Maintenance of charitable institution. 15. Co-operative land settlement. "When the illustrious Sancho Panza was dispensing justice a very curious case was heard before him. At one end of the bridge there was a toll-gate, at which the passengers were asked certain questions. If they told the truth they were allowed to go ; if they lied they were hanged forthwith on the gallows-tree hard by. One passenger who came across, and was asked what brought him, said he came to be hanged, and there a difficulty arose. He could not be hanged, because the law permitted only liars to be thus treated, and he would not go on, because he had no further to go. The case cam© before Sancho Panzo, and it beat him. He had to take time to consider it. We believe that most people will take time to consider the " list o£ resolutions " given above. Let us examine them. (1) What Union is to be formed ? Presumablv a union of farmers. But why did not the writer say so? And what have JVI.H.B.'s to do with it ? (2) Whv should the railways be run cheap for stock-owners more than for anyone else? And who is to pay for these railways ? Now these gentlemen who want cheap railways for themselves would be the first to howl if they did not pay. (3) What duty is to be abolished when agricultural implements are free? (4) We cannot understand tho meaning of this, but it probably h&s something to do with rabbits. Taking the balance of the resolutions it does not appear . whether the Union is for or against freetrade, immigration, co-operation distilleries, San Francisco mail, etc! The fact is, we do not know what they want, and the probabilities are that they do not know exactly themselves. One thing we wish to say is that we do not like the look of it. In our opinion it is altogether a large land-owners' scheme, and the object is to get small farmers into the net so as to bind them for political purposes, The election is drawing near, and this is another Political Reform Association. We have always given farmers the best advice we could, and we now advise them to have nothing to do with this. We know that farmers think that their interests are exactly the same as those of the large landowner, and they generally follow them at election times. Farmers could not make a greater mistake than this What farmers want in this coloay i s a large population t:> eat the products of their farms, and, above all others the large land-owner is the greatest barrier to securing so deairablo an end. Instead of looking on the large land-owner as their guide, philosopher and friend they ought to look upon him, from a political point of view, as their greatest enemy. If farmers did this, and voted for the Liberal party we should soon be better off in this colony. We should advise the Farmers' Union to get a secretary at once. Their circular is senseless and stupid, and altogether incomprehensible.