THE N.F.U.
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] ■ cOlinrias with ``A Membei-of the. Royal Agricultural Society " as, to whether or' not *the National Farmers':UniOn possesses any merits. If ho*eiier, he desires to quote " pertinent " sentences from' The" Story' of the Women's Institute MoVenient,
I have objection. Let the 'quote 'the full Paragraph
t•• •
have no desire. to prOlong centrOvery.*in your open ." The field open to the A.0.8. was wide.. The A.O.S. made the easy'roistake. of 'pegging out claims to ton much Like Many a back-to-the-lander - it 'made itself - a lamer garden than it 'could cultivate thoroughly. It suffered from .its ,ranging , view and its incurable'beneVolence. There was no nonsense of ,publie spirit about the National 'Farmers' Union. It won through 'by tiVing the platform, the magazines and the.reviews the go-by. It rested • its hopes on buttonholing farmers and. on putting upa.good thing to them. It.was a trade union." - - The opening sentence of the author's next .paragraph-7-which apparently escaped the- eye of your correspondent—reads :— " The A.O.S. has gone under and the bLF:U. thi-ells in stability and merited success next door to an ex-Premier."
The-italics are mine. I venture to suggest that these pasqoges really answer the point which . "-A: Member of the Royal Agricultural Society " appears to be seeking- to make. the author of the book quite rightly said, the N,FX,- is " a business organisation, composed of farmers, -working. for farmers."- Though the Union's sphere of. -activities :is re- stricted in that way, and -has not the range which gives: scope for public-spirited- benevolence, it- is nevertheless,- pertinent to add that when the A.O.S. " went under " the Vino!! took over its main -functions- and is now discharging; (tit ; Of ,its own resources- functions formerly freely subsidized -.from
public-funds. Whether that particular action .savoured ,of " public spirit " your correspondent will judge for himself, • but .I may properly conclude by :quoting the .testimony to its outcome of the late Permanent Secretary. to the, Ministry of Agriculture
" In view of the mistakes and failures of the past, it is inevitable that progress in co-operative organizations will be slow, but farmers and their organization are increasingly alive to the irtiportanee of the marketing problem, and now that the *brit is in 'responsible hands there is every assurance that 'development,-if slow, wilt be
on sound lines." •
In other words, Sir Francis Floud confirms the . judgment, in dispassionate vein, of the-Editor of the-Countryman.,
I am, Sir, &c.; • • CLEVELAND . FITFE; 45 Bedford Square, London, W . •
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