COUNTRY QUOTA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 October 1938, Page 5

COUNTRY QUOTA

FARMERS' UNION PRESIDENT SEEKS ASSURANCE PLAIN STATEMENT WANTED FROM PREMIER FEAR OF VEILED INTENTION (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The concern of the farmers of the Dominion at the refusal of the Prime Minister and members of his party to give a satisfactory pledge that the provision in the Electoral Act known as the country quota would be retained in the event of the Labour Party being returned to office on October 15, was referred to by the Dominion president of the Farmers’ Union, Mr W. W. Mulholland, in a statement issued yesterday. “On behalf of the Farmers’ Union, which is the mouthpiece of the majority of bona fide farmers in New Zealand,” said Mr Mulholland, “I publicly ask the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon.M. J. Savage, to answer the following questions with a plain ‘yes’ or ‘no : — “(1) In the event of the Labour Party being returned to power at the forthcoming election will you definitely undertake that the country quota will not be interfered with during the term of the next Parliament? “(2) Will you guarantee that, in the event of your party being returned to power, it will not alter the present system of Parliamentary representation? “Those questions are plain, and the Prime Minister will readily understand that the Farmers’ Union does not consider as satisfactory a statement that ‘it is the intention of the Government to have a full investigation into the whole electoral system with a view to giving consideration to the many points raised by people and organisations. In the meantime you may rely upon it that no alteration will be made in the electoral laws. This was the reply made by the Prime Minister to the telegram from the Farmers’ Union asking this specific question. “We desire a definite assurance from the leader of the party and this has not been forthcoming up to the present, but the unsatisfactory reply given to the Farmers’ Union inquiry seems to justify me in assuming that a decision has been made to alter the law, continued Mr Mulholland. “It has been asserted and it has not been denied, that the Government, if returned, intends to abolish the present electoral system and install in its stead an industrial parliament. It must be conceded that the reply made by the Prime Minister to the Farmers Union telegram certainly appears to lend colour to this belief. “These statements demand an unequivocal repudiation by the Prime Minister, and an assurance that the Government of which he is the head wil not adopt any such policy. In a primary producing country such as Hew Zealand it would be nothing short oi national suicide if anything should be done to deny the rural community (who so largely produce the wealth of the country) an adequate voice in its administration. The repeal of the country quota would give the control of the whole country to the four large cities and this would be neither just nor desirable.” ,