FARMERS UNION

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 48, Issue 79, 13 January 1928, Page 5

FARMERS UNION

MEETING OF EXECUTIVE. DUTY ON PLOUGHSHARES. COST OF FERTILISERS. The Mid-Canterbury Provincial Executive of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union met this afternoon, the president (Mr H. C. B. Withell) presiding over a good attendance. The Hinds branch wrote that it had passed a resolution objecting to the 10 per cent, increase in the duty on ploughshares. The president -said the Ealing branch was similarly inclined to the view that the extra duty was a direct tax on the farmer. He did not find anything in the Act which referred directly to ploughshares. He was of opinion that a strong protest should be sent to the Government from the Executive. On the motion of Mr W. T. Lill, it was decided to ask the Minister of Customs for an explanation of the Act, and 1 if cast ploughshares were not included, then the Executive entered a, strong protest, at the same time point-' ing out that the imported share was always the better article for all work. t Co-operation With Merchants. In reply to the executive’s letter of appreciation of his remarks in Parliament in connection with the prices of fertilisers, Mr D. Jones, M.P., wrote that he had been offered 36-38 per cent superphosphate landed at Lyttelton at a cost of 80s a ton, c.i.f. It would be realised that there was a great disparity between this price and the price paid in Canterbury at present. He suggested that the Executive should get m touch with the merchants in Ash-, burton with a view to seeing if they were prepared to co-operate with farmers in securing, at a reasonable price, the manure which is so essential to Canterbury’s production. if co-oper-ation could not be arrived at, it would be necessary to discuss the question from another angle. Mr G. W. Leadley moved that a subcommittee should be set up to interview the merchants, the committee to comprise Messrs) Withell, Lill, J. Brown, F. G. Evans, F. Frampton, G. W. Leadley and A. Campion. This was agreed to, and it was decided that the committee discuss the matter before interviewing the merchants. The Southland Excursion. The Southland Provincial Executive wrote expressing the hope that .the proposed farmers’ excursion to Southland would he arranged for March, which month the Canterbury farmers had agreed would be the most suitable time. No discussion was taken. Mr F. Pawson (Railway Business Agent) wrote that a return of traffic at the Springburn station did not warrant the installation of a weighing machine, as requested by the Executive, acting on the suggestion of the local branch. , ~ ~ . It was decided to ask the Springburn branch if any further action was desired.

Wheat Certification,

Mr J. W. Hadfield (agronomist for the Agricultural Department) forwarded copies of a circular giving particulars of the scheme of certification of seed wheat as undertaken by the Department in conjunction with the recentlyformed Wheat Research Institute Committee set up by the Department or Scientific and Industrial Research, Copies would be available for ..distribution to the branches. Mr J- Brown said it was the intention to send round men to inspect crops, especially those coming from Lincoln, College seed, and if farmers would fall in with the conditions, they would receive an extra 6d a bushel for his certified harvest. Next years crops would be eligible for certification if this season's seeds were certified as pure. At present, seeds were badly mixed, and millers were complaining. _ Mr Lill said the machine cleaning would raise the chief some machines would take a week's cleaning, to rid it of the impurities from the last threshing. It was through the dirty machines that most of _ the weeds m New Zealand were carried. Wild oats always appeared on land where a machine had stood to thresh. Some districts were worse than others, he admitted, and he added thatit seemed that it was almost impossible to get rid of wild oats out of a machine. It kept coming out hours after wild oat threshing liad ceased. In reply to Mr Evans, Mr Brown said the certified wheat Would he purchased by the Department. The crop would have to be very free from disease before it was certified. Mr Evans said he preferred lighter land seed, than that from heavy soils that produced the weeds. It was agreed Co obtafn'TfO circulars and forward tirem to the branches throughout the County. General Matters. In reply to the Executive’s letter asking for delegates to act on the committee to discuss the Arbitration Act, the Hinds, Lowcliffe, and Ealing branches forwarded the names of thendelegates, and the president expressed a desire that other branches should appoint tueir delegates at an early date. . With regard to railway weights oemg supplied to farmers without an extra charge, it was agreed to draw the attention of the Department to the unsatisfactory methods of supplying weight certificates. A suggestion from potato-growers that their products should be graded at main line stations, as near as possible to the station where they wejo loaded, was voiced by Mr B. Gillies (tlie Executive’s organiser). , , Mr Lill said the merchants had different grades, and it depended a good deal on the tendency of the market. It' would he far better to have a grader for the County so that potatoes might ( be graded in "the paddock. Mr Leadley thought the grading was something of a, farce. He detailed a personal experience to illustrate this. The matter was referred to the Chamber of Ccunmerce. The question of binder twine prices was discussed in committee and it was decided to address a circular letter to tlie three leading twine manufacturers asking for an explanation of the disparity between the local price for twine and the London priee of fibre. A statement of the membership under the jurisdiction of the Executive was read' by the President, showing that 700 members were at jmesent enrolled.