Farmers and Politics.

Waikato Argus, Volume XXIV, Issue 3785, 19 May 1908, Page 2

Farmers and Politics.

By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, Last Night. The executive of the New Zealand Farmers Union has issued to members a manifesto informing them that in view of the coming elections, "it is the duty that every member to give earnest consideration to laws which affect the farming community, and to endeavour to prevent the introduction of injurious features into legislation." The circular, it is explained, "is intended to merely indicate the effect of existing laws and as a guide to the consideration of the more important questions which are of special interest to farmers." The clause in the Land Act of last session which gives lease in perpetuity tenants the right to purchase the fee simple of their holdings, although recognising the principle of freehold advocated by the uniom is stated to be "practically useless." After a man has complied with all the conditions of his lease and made many other improvements enhancing the capital value, he has, the circular says, to pay again for this improved capital value which he has created by i his own hard cash.

Tables are published in the circular to show that since 1895 taxation has increased by £ll4s 2d per head. The land tax is shown to have gone up in the same period from £280,000 to £477,000, over 70 per cent. When the new graduated tax comes into force the land tax will have been doubled.

Dealing specifically!, with the graduated tax the circular says:— 'The system of a graduated tax is an unfair one, and is essentially a class tax, no other industry being taxed on the value of its property, no matter how enormous it may be, and for the earning of profit land is even more essential to the farmer than vast elaborate warehouses are to other industries, which have no bounds put to their profit earning powers. [This is the real effect of the graduated land tax.

"The system, has, huwever, been in operation for some years, and the Act of last session went still further by imposing a confiscatory tax upon those possessing land of unimproved value of £40,000 or more. Whilst it may be claimed that the object of the law is to compel the expropriation of the large holdings, it must be remembered that nothing, save the appointment of a Commission, has been done to settle the vast areas of native and other unoccupied lands of the Dominion.

"If the cultivated lands are to be drawn upon as proposed, before the virgin country is thrown open, it is reasonable to suppose that an effort will soon be made to reduce the limit from £40,000, so that in the near future the principle will be applied to the comparatively small farmer. This tax, if carried to excess, as it will be, means a special tax on industry—on the brains, and skill of the farmer, and on the scientific march of progress. We do not oppose limitation of areas, but other means can be found to bring this about without interfering with the material progress of the country."

Wellington, Last Night.

Speaking at .the annual dinner of the Palmerston North branch of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, the Hon. R .McNab, Minister for Lands, said some people were under the impression [[that the Government was hostile to the Farmers' Union, because the Farmers' Union was a political organisation. It did not matter to him whether the Farmers' Union was a political organisation or not. The great secret of the success of the trades unionism in this country was that the adherents of trades unionism did not hesitate to interfere in politics when questions touching their interests arose. He wanted to direct the attention of the gathering to the lines which the Department was following. The farmers wanted some power to come to their aid, and that power was the Department of Agriculture. The results of experiments had been disseminated at a minimum of cost throughout the community; the Department had to call to its aid the scientist and the laboratory. If the greatest profit was to be got out of the country the country had to be managed just as a farmer managed his farm. The Agricultural Department had only come into existence during the last 15 years, and as time went on further it appeared that what had been done so far only opened up fresh avenues to conquer. He detailed what had been done since the Ward Administration came into power. There was the veterinary college at Dunedin; he hoped to see the time when the head officers of the Stock Departme.it were not only trained in stock matters but were competent veterinary surgeons. He hoped to be able in a very short time to say that the first ten men who came out of the Veterinary College would be given employment by the Department at a salary of not less than £3OO per annum to start with. Speaking of the dairy school to be established at Palmerston North, the Minister said that as soon as the site was vested in King Edward the next step would be taken. The Department had to see that those who were not able to go on the soil today but who would do so in a year or two were enabled to go on the land. He hoped Parliament would be able to endow an Agricultural University to be established in this Dominion. A great deal was already being done, but a man should be enabled to step out on to the land and face the hundred and one problems which met the agriculturists at every turn. The agriculturist should not bo placed in a different position from the medical man. He concluded with a further reference to the vast interests which the Agricultural Department had to deal with. Research scholarships were to be given to those who would specialise along certain lines, and he hoped that when the work was taken up a number of scholars would direct their attention to the problems of agriculture.