The Waikato Times THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political. TUESDAY, FEB. 9, 1892.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 6053, 9 February 1892, Page 2

The Waikato Times THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political. TUESDAY, FEB. 9, 1892.

The proposal to start the "New Zealand Settlers' League" is a step forward and one that ought to have been taken long since. The settlers on the land may be said to be the only class in the community ■which is not combined to forward and watch over its interests. There are manufacturers' associations, trades' unions, and chambers of commerce, all these of necessity look at matters from an urban point of view. The last named bodies take a broader view of affairs than the others, but they are for the most part composed of men con* nected with the importing and dis» tributing branches of industry and in consequence, from lack of practical experience are incapable, no matter how willing, to deal in a satisfactory manner, with questions affecting the population settled upon the land. There are numerous farmers' clubs dotted over the land, but the majority of them exclude the discussion of political questions from their meetings ; whether they are wise or not in so doing we will not now pause to discuss. The consequence is that it is seldom indeed that the voice of the farmer is heard in meetings assembled. Occasionally one of the number smarting und'er what he considers a grievance, either in the law or the system of its administration, takes pen in hand to protest and demand redress. His letter duly appears in the columns of a newspaper, and is possibly editorially commented upon. Those in power, however, know that there is no combination likely to trouble itself about a farmer's grievance, and in consequence do not inconvenience themselves in order to rectify matters. We are learning the lesson at the present time that numbers govern, and that justice, political honesty and public integrity have been relegated to a back seat. It is also daily becoming less clear as to whether the country is governed by Parliament and the Ministry or by the Trades Unions in conjunction with other political combinations, willing to pander to the former's selfishness in ordei to secure unity, and thus be enabled to give effect to their fads with regard to land tenure or socialism. The appeal of Mr Ballance for mercy at the hands of the Wellington unionists for having dared to support a candidate not nominated by them justifies the doubt we have expressed, and demonstrates most clearly that concerted action is required by land occupiers if their interests are to have due consideration by Parliament. The first question probably which the League will find it necessary to consider will be reductions of Customs duties, as some compensation for the exceptional taxation to which the farmers are subjected. It is to be hoped, however, that the suggestion of our contemporary the Herald will not be acted upon. After alluding to the subsidy paid by Victoria on the export of butter, and the probability that the same course will be pursued with regard to frozen meat, he wrote in Saturday's issue: " If, howover, the Australian colonies go on in this way, we ma.y have to respond and have to subsidise our exports of frozen meat and dairy produce." This because their is danger, in his opinion, that our produce will in consequence be shut out of the markets. He has overlooked the fact that these subsidies are granted as compensation to the producers for the heavy Customs duties they have to pay in order that high wages may be earned in the towns. This, to our mind, is only an attempt to remedy one error by the commission of another. How much better to remove the first evil, and at the same time the political necessity .for the second. The payment of a subsidy to the exporter of meat will not add the smallest fraction of a farthing to its value in the receiving markets. The only way our trade could be affected would be by the flooding of those markets with more meat chan could readily be passed into consumption. We have littie fear of this when the means of distribution w.e better

adapted to the necessities of the trade, than at present is tho case. The glut which at times takes place in the Home market is mainly due to the fact that the great bulk of the shipments are made to London, and many other of the large ports in Great Britian are entirely neglected. The necessity for com- j bination for political purposes must be so apparent to every settler that it is hardly necessary to urge all to join. The political organisations at present in existence are antagonistic to the interests of the landholders. We may, perhaps, except the National Association, if it still has life in it, but, as we have previously pointed out, the proceedings of the council of that body have evidenced that they are more given to talk than action.