WAIKATO FARMERS' CLUB.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 2924, 11 April 1891, Page 2

WAIKATO FARMERS' CLUB.

TO THE KDITO)!. Sin, —Although unable to lie present at the adjourned meeting of the Hamilton Branch on Thursday, I cordially endorse the action of those members who were, ("he change in the hour of meeting is perfectly justified on the chance that it may be successful in drawing a larger attendance. Now that the club has entered upon liic second year of its existence, it is to be hoped that the roll nf membership will steadily become larger. Although the club may not be a panacea for all, or indeed any, of our fanning troubles, it is certainly a step in that direction. The suggestion recently thrown out by Mr Barugh, that the club might be a sort of loose tie binding the fanners together, and by which they could act unitedly when occasion ollered, lias 1 '"en everywhere regarded as an excellent one. Even those fanners who somewhat ridicule our efforts readily

admit that in the South, in some parts of Australia, and particularly in America, Farmers' Clubs have been of immense value to the agricultural interests, and there is no room to suppose they will not be the same here, if cordially supported. But, putting aside our ciub for tho moment, let us place farmers upon the same ranks as other classes of labour. Ihese, all the world over, are rapidly organising to obtain redress for grievances, which are in the main undoubtedly substantial ones ; but wdiat branch among them all is so oppressed in real practice as that which tills the soil. Take oniselves in Waikato, and we are more ; favourably situated than many, where is the farmingfamily that receives more than;

a bare return for their manual labour, the; risks and capital being thrown in. It is often asserted that the laws of supply and demand control these things, and consequently any ed'orts on the part of farmers to raise prices or ameliorate their oouditiou are useless. But if this wen; really so, the necessaries of life, produced by them, would be correspondingly plentiful and cheap to the consumer. But iu actual practice this is not the ease. Broadly speaking, the consumer always pays a good remunerative price for everything he wears or cats. It. is the extrasive freights aud charges, the oppressive tarill' of all kinds, that makes up the diilereucc between the handsome price paid by the consumer aud the wretched one received by the producer. Tht'sc conditions are certainly within control, a lid have nothing whatever to do wittx the law of supply and demand ; but without united action farmers are unite powerless against abuse, however glaring aud monopoly, however small. 1 ask my farming friends and neighbours, with all. respect, not to abandon or throw discouragement upon the only combination wc possess that seems to have any regard for the farming interests, mid tu show the world that even umoug agtu-ul-tuiists there is the same feeling ol: brotherhood in a common calling that animates other branches of the nre»t family —I am, &c., E. C. SuLTtiKuu.