FARMERS' BIG FORWARD. MOVEMENT.

; • THE FARMERS' UNION TRADING CO. (AUCKLAND), LTD, V SEMARKABLE PROGRESS OF THIS ' ' "FARMERS' GREAT CO-OPERATIVE.

s, f'SALE FARMERS -SHOULD TAKE *; .v IT SHARES. ,: • '. > J'/i One of the outstanding events of the f year now closing was the purchase ; by. the Farmers' Union Trading >■ Com- ' pany, Ltd., of, Laidlaw Leeds, thus ' bringing together two of the biggest busii nesses lin Auckland. This important / merger, which was completed last June, v caused widespread satisfaction among the 50,000 customers of the -' two firms involved, for it was'recognise! that greater • economy in .working expenses and • in- . - creased benefits to shareholders end customers, would result from the nion of , resources and the restriction of compe- * tition. -.5. ; ' * What Has since been accomplished in v|reducing working costs is of itself ample justification for this important forward move.. ■ ■ ■■ 4 Farmers no longer pay two sets of ex- - penses—they had to do so when the two companies, were in competition. Now . there is o*hly one management to pay— I (one catalogue to publish—one advertising - account. :'- Further ' advantages are the united 'assets giving financial strength— Iraying-power ensuring keener prices 'united selling effort and lower expenses. J f ,•/ In the matter of direct tangible bene- ' fits to shareholders, the Farmers' Union '• Trading Co. has gone farther than any other Co-operative Association in New ' V Zealand. The only, rebates given by ' other companies are those declared at the end of the financial year. But the Farmers' Union Trading Co. . announce that from Ist January to 31st March, . 1919, they guarantee to every shareholder the following substantial rebates on purchases: 10 per cent., ,or 2s in the £1 off Drapery. * ' . f " ' 5 per cent., or In in the £1 off Clothing %nd- Mercery. . , " : r 4 " 5 ' per cent., or lis in the £1 off Furni- ' jture and Bedding. * 5 per cent., or Is in the £1 off Boots . land Shoes. ,'

y 5 per cent., or In in the £1 off Saddlery tod Harness. 20 per cent.,. or 4s in the £1 off all * Commissions charged on Wool, Produce, etc., consigned to the company for sale. These rebates are immediate benefits to shareholders, and will be deducted from

each order and refunded at once. They are independent of any rebate that may be declared by the company at its next annual meeting. The N.Z. Farmers' Go-operative Association of Canterbury, Ltd., Christchurch —the biggest and wealthiest Co-operative Company in New Zealand—paid no rebates during the first five years of its history. The achievement of the Farmers' Union Trading Co. is, therefore, all the more remarkable, for this Farmers' Cooperative, though only in its third year, is able to guarantee rebates much larger than those usually declared by co-opera-tive concerns. This undoubtedly speaks volumes for the present prosperity and future possibilities of the Farmers' Union Trading Co., which seems destined to be the most successful farmers' enterprise in our Dominion.

BIG DEVELOPMENTS AHEAD. The Farmers' Union Trading Co. possesses one important advantage over its Southern sister in that it is situated in the North Island. Everyone knows that the North Island is going ahead faster than the South, and that it has undeveloped areas and potential wealth which assure for the next 25 years a measure of prosperity unknown to the South Island. In that future prosperity the Farmers' Union Trading Co. will share to the full, because of its close association with the wealth-producers of the country—the great farming community on whose labours we so largely depend for the steady progress of our Dominion.

- ' 'The shareholders of the Farmers' Union Trading Co. are farmers, and its Board of Directors are farmers, all men who are fully determined that the farmer of v New Zealand shall control i the importaV' tion and distribution of all his goods ; ; Pjct the so-operative pi»cipl/( .that puts

every individual shareholder on the same basis as if he actually owned the whole business himself. As evidence of the foresight 'of the board which is guiding this great movement, it may be mentioned that the whole of the freehold land extending from the company's Hobson Street warehouse down Wyndham Street' and round into Nelson Street was secured by options before the purchase of Laidlaw Leeds was made public, ' thus saving many thousands of pounds for : shareholders. ; The directors realise that in the near future it will be necessary to enlarge the company's warehouse accommodation in order to take care of the rapidly increasing business. When the whole of the acquired land lias „ been built upon, the new j premises will be six times the size ' of, the 5 present ' big warehouse, and will 'have eighteen acres of floor space. ! Thc.t farmers everywhere appreciate the benefits offered by - the Farmers' Union Trading Company is proved, by the enthusiasm and liberality with which they are supporting this , great co-operative enterprise. . # They have been taking up shares at the rate of 9000 : per month, during the past three months, over 90 per cent, of these applications coming direct to the company by mail without personal canvass of any kind. " • So_ many thousands of customers are sending big orders for supplies that all departments are working at high pressure. But there is no confusion. The company's warehouse is a great distribution machine which works smoothly and efficiently, even at the present time, when the amount of business being handled far surpasses all previous records.

A WELL-ORGANISED BUSINESS. ■> A walk through the' six floors of the great building in Hotmon Street is an interesting experience— that no visitor to Auckland should miss. ' Tho vast stocks of merchandise comprise everything the farmer needs—groceries, drapery, clothing, hardware, implements, engines, crockery, boots and shoes, saddlery, harness, furniture, and a multitude of other goods. \ Every department is splendidly organised for the. prompt and accurate handling of the immense amount of business daily put through. Labour-saving appliances are everywhere—from the Dictaphones in the correspondence department, to the clever machine that measures and rolls linoleum in the furniture department. One passenger and two goods lifts, all electrically operated, run right through the building. The latter are capable of elevating one and a-half tons of goods from the basement to the top floor m 25 seconds. The grocery department is equipped with patent automatic scales, capable of weighing 20 bags of cereals, such as rice, sago, etc., per minute. In the office 38 typewriters are steadily clicking out the day's business, while four adding machines, three electrically operated, are used in totalling the immense number of invoices daily handled. Twenty-four automatic telephones, each connected by a trunk line to the Government exchange, keep tho departments in closest touch with one another, and with the many factories throughout the city, which are kept busy supplying the Farmers' Union Tradig Company's requirements.

A noticeable feature is the splendid dining rooms in the building, one for the men and another for the girl employees. The rooms are in charge of capable cooks, and meals are supplied to the staff at midday at cost price. The staff are a bright, capable company, working in bright surroundings, under good conditions.

No travellers are employed by the Farmers' Union Trading Co. The whole of their huge business is transacted by means of their 500-page catalogue, which conveys the benefits of co-operative trading to the remotest farm and country home, at a mere fraction of the cost of travelling salesmen. Once this company s catalogue enters a homestead, the huge warehouse in Hobson Street, Auckand, becomes the nearest store to the farmers door and without stirring from his armchair ho can select all his requirements from large stocks of high-grade goods, b* Jir at r W en 1)6 gets his rebate, cost price" reality have bought them at

This direct method of selling enables the Farmers Union Trading Co to serve every farmer in the most satisfactory way and to rapidly increase the volume ot its business.

The rush of .orders this month is unprecedented m the history of the company—hundreds arriving by every mail. As time goes on the money value of its operations is certain to grow to enormous figures, with j a proportionate advance in the profits available for distribution among the company's shareholders. It would certainly seem to be a wise thing for farmers to take shares in this progressive company.