THE HARVESTER TRUST.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLIX, Issue 12635, 24 October 1905, Page 2

THE HARVESTER TRUST.

A FARMER'S VIEW

At the meeting of the Wanganui branch of the N.Z. Farmers' Union, held on Wednesday last, Mr J. W. Baker epoke as\|ollows relative to the Harvester Trust:— We farmers must be very careful not to agree with the New Zealand imple- v ment makers in their .crusade against a foo that does nob exist as yet. Let the position be thoroughly understood before we agree to action, for up to the present time the implement makers of the colony 'have been the means of showing the folly of protective duties, for they all (I am probably right in saying) have made fortunes although there have been no protective duties on agricultural implements. What are agricul- '. tural implements? Are they not the tools by which -the farmor earns his wages? And should they be taxed with heavy protective duties: When labour unions feel like taxing something, they might at least begin upon their, own tooils. The cry of 6upport to colonial or parochial industry is a most one-sided lousiness. For instance, I am nob a large farmer, but I produce by means of, lipols a limited quantity of mufctop, wool, 'and wheat. Now how does the colony- support me?—by compelling me to send the result of my labour to England in ships provided by colonial shipping companies, wiho charge heavy rates of freight, who say practically, "You ought to encourage local industry, because we want your money; but we don't want your labour or its results." It will be a monstrous wrong and absurdity if any tax is put on farmers' tools, when all other trades get nearly, if not all, /their requirements free. In this case only the farmers can be taxed, for only farmers use agricultural tools. And the farmers would sooner have colonial tools—ploughs, cultivators, chaffcutters, etc. —"whenever they can do the work in a proper manner; but they must not agree to be taxed out of their homes by unions and their fairy tales of a . bogey not yet born.