A LITTLE "BREEZE”

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXI, Issue 19035, 12 June 1924, Page 8

A LITTLE "BREEZE”

AT FARMERS’ UNION. FEW OUTSPOKEN REMARKS. A few outspoken remarks were made by members of the Farmers’ Union at yesterday’s meeting of that body, when the question of partnership subscriptions was under discussion. Mr. Fletcher startled the meeting by referring to the farming community as the meanest lot of he had ever known. If it was a matter of 2/6 or 1/- they would haggle over it for a week. Mr. Franklin said that the union was at the same old act, and they were the most miserable of all unions over the matter of subscriptions. There were few unions that had anything to fall back on, and the farmers produced 90 per cent, of the country’s wealth. The farmers never seemed to have anything. “Why,” he remarked, “even bootblacks would pay more to their union than do the farmers.” The union, he pointed out, sent their delegates away to a conference, and asked them to pay their own expenses. Mr. Howie: It is not a matter of £ s. -d.; it is a personal matter. Mr. Parsons contradicted the statement that they were unfinancial, and said that most of the branches had balances. The statements were erroneous and they would get into the Press. Mr. Franklin remarked that he was not speaking for the benefit of the Press, but he asked: How much finance have you in the district?” “Sixty-nine pounds!” supplied Mr. Smith. Mr. Franklin: “Only £69? Why, in a wealthy district like this you should have had hundreds of pounds.” “Yes! But we spend it,” elucidated Mr. Smith. The little “breeze’’ blew over by Mr. Franklin contending that the Farmers’ Union was not on the footing that it should be. If the subscriptions were paid as they should be, they would be much better off.