THE FARMERS' UNION

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10614, 22 April 1912, Page 5

THE FARMERS' UNION

AH APPEAL BY MR J. C. WILSON

At the .conclusion of his lecture in M&steiitton on 'Saturday lost on the subject of "Plant Breeding," Mr J, G. vWdlson, Dominion President of the N.Z. {Parmors' 'Union, made' some interesting remarks on the work of the Union. He was, sorry to say -Jhat the Wairarapa was not doing itself justice ill regard to the Union. Somehow, in the Wairarapa the farmer© did not ■keep (together, which was a great pi*y. T3iey were quite capable of making a great success of any .venture which •ttfiey took up enthusiastically, as was instanced in the position of the MasItoron A. and P. Association to-day.-i3Tet, when it came to attending the (meetings of the Union tlhere whs practically no response. JTarmers did not Idealise the results of combination, and never in the history of i the Dominion wns there more urgent need for it than at present. There •was, for instance, the Unity of Labtara* movement, and although thore was absolutely no reason why the farmers and the employees should not be on the most friendly footing. . there i were those who were ever ready to stir <up industrial strife. The best em-! ployees were leaving the farmer, and , going on to the land oh their-own account, and gradually the number of' hands l was diminishing. Many farmers would employ more hands if they teoiikl secure good labour, but the great scarcity in this connection was forcing ithem to relinquish both grainand dairying. Tho question was, how were the, ranks* of the 1 workers to be filled ?j If immigration was mentioned, there was an immedi-, at© outcry. When the farmers waited J lon (the Minister asking that the sys-; tern of assisting boys to immigrate be l continued, they were told thr-t nothing could l be done. As a result of this apathy, the Sedgwick boys were being passed- 10 ctlicr countries, wiho ihad taken up tho ideas introduced by .Mr Sedgwick. Winder tho hoys had been cn.nlojid. let t lis- had .been received which r>io\ed the success of the c chcine. E*. eiy lad who crfine out nennl mcie capital to the country. It was deplorable to think that itho coiKl : tioiifi> oi Jaibour at Home j were ,such that there w s ere thousands] of girls willing to come to New Zea•laiul if/they were only given the bonefits of iminigiration. The speaker appealed tto f3ic-se piesent .to assist the vause, wind to give the Fa: met s' Uniion. the cincoivragenient it deservH?cl, ','■■''■ ■: ■