FARMERS UNION

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 52, Issue 81, 15 January 1932, Page 6

FARMERS UNION

MID-CANTERBURY EXECUTIVE. THE CHARGES FOR THRESHING. STANDARD WEIGHT OF WHEAT. The Mid-Canterbury Provincial Executive of the Farmers’ Union met this afternoon, when the president (Mr G. H. B. Lill) presided. A-' motion of sympathy with Mr J. Connolly, M.P., in his bereavement was carried in silence.

Mr J. Connolly, M.P., wrote thanking the executive for its message of congratulation on his election to Parliament as the member for Mid-Can-ter bury. The South Canterbury Executive wrote regarding the /Unsatisfactory railtvay weights, and said it would endeavour to arrange a deputation to meet the Railway Board on the matter. When the discrepancy in the weight of a truck was pointed out to the Railway Department, the reply was that that particular truck was possibly moving at the time it , was weighed. If that fact was admitted, then it was time for a serious overhaul of the Department. The executive was asked to appoint a delegate to ,be one of a deputation to the Railway Board. The chairman said he farmers'should be able to rely on railway

weights. Mr J. Carr said it had been known for years that railway weights weV incorrect.’ He thought if- the Union approached the Board it would receive consideration, as the new board was composed of business men. It. was decided to appoint Mr Carr the representative to the conference. : * . In reply to the executive, the iNew Zealand threshing Mill Owners’ Association, Christchurch, wrote that while it was in accord to have the price of threshing reduced, it could not fix a price until, after tho Court sat on February 2. the association agreed to pne c .f the members of the executive giving evidence before the Court. Mr Carr said there was no doubt that the cost of threshing had to come down. The farmer’s return was going to be considerably reduced and it was essential that all costs must come down_ m proportion. The yield wouldl probably be'down .33 1-6 per cent. The cliairman: That 33 1-3 per cent, is the profit end, too. Mr Carr said that the difficulty m harvest time was that mill gangs were governed by an industrial award while the dray-men w r ere under no award, and often had to work harder than the mill men for less, money. ' Mr F. G. Evans said that either the mill men should come down or the labourers should go up. There were hundreds of men willing to take harvesting .work at'a shilling an hoin. Mi* W. R. Hammond remarked that there was a danger that farm workers would be brought under an award and farmers compelled to' pay like Is 10d an hour. ' _ Mi* Evans said lie did not agree thau there was any danger, as there were too many men ofFering. __ . The chairman thought the Union should have a good representation at the conference. Mr M. Macdle held that as threshing #as a rtiral Occupation threshing workers should be taken away from the control of the Arbitration Court. It was decided to appoint Messrs Carr and Evans as the executive’s representatives' at the conference of witnesses. : , , ' . The president of the Ashburton Grain Merchants’ Association (Mr M. Bruce) wrote that he had perused a copy of the Wheat Marketing Scheme and he considered that under the present conditions, and taking into- account the possibilities of quality for the forthcoming season, owing to the drought, ‘‘Weight of not less than 611 b” had been fixed too high. The association was making a protest, and he thoug.it thatthe executive would bo well advised to d'o likewise, in an endeavour to have a reduction made. The weight, should bo 601 b. He thought the Wheat Marketing Board would give favourable consideration to the suggested decrease. Mr Carr said that last year the weight was 611 b. Ho had never known it to be 591 b. If the farmers were going to press for a reduction m quality they were going to alter the contract With tho millers. The definition of f.a.q. wheat had usually been left to the buyers, .but now they had a distinct definition, and he thought it would be a pity to let it go. If farmers brought down the standard they were going to bring the man with good quality -wheat down to the level of the man with poor wheat. There was nothing to prevent the' miller buying 5911.) wheat and milling it at a price. In reply to Mr Evans, Mr Carr said the definition of f.a.q. wheat was that it should bo not less than 611 b and sonablv free. from smut. The miller could if be wished buy 591 b wheat as f ' a iir G H Franks said he would suggest that the Wheat Research Institute be written to asking for a report on U M?¥. a Fvampto .aid he thought the Research Institute had brought out the fact that when wheat got wet it opened out until there was a hollow undei the Carr .said that weathering did not affect the flour extraction qualities of wheat. He would suggest that Mi Franks’ motion should be altered to ask if 591 b wheat had the same flbur extraction qualities as 611 b grain. Mr Franks said what he wished to know was whether farmers could get as much return from, 591 b wheat as from 611 b wheat. In that case it would pay to reduce the grade. It was TTecided to write to the Institute asking for a report on the returns from under-grade wheat. The manager of the Wheat Marketing Board wrote that the resolution passed • by a-meeting of wheat-growers, held in Ashburton, regarding the price of wheat for the 1932 crop, would bo placed before the board at its next meeting. .. The Ashburton Returned Soldiers Association wrote that a move was being. made to put- into operation the Soldiers’ Rehabilitation Act, which was passed some months ago. The executive was asked to appoint a delegate to be one of a committee, of representatives of the Farmers’ Union, the Chamber of Commerce, the War Relief Committee,

and. the R.S.A., with tho object of placing in suitable employment those returned men in the district who through war disability, were unable to follow their usual occupations. . The intention was to find such work end supplement the pay in cases where an employer wouldl take a man and possibly place him on the road to the learning of a new avocation.

Mr A. P. Bruce was appointed the Executive’s representative. Regarding the rate of exchange, Mr W. T. Lill moved “That this Union strongly objects to the Government interfering with the rate of exchange.” Mr Carr seconded the motion, stating that o very vigorous protest should he lodged. Mr R. AY. AVightmaiii said it was necessary for the Government to take charge of the exchange rate from a stabilisation point- of view. Mr Hammond said farmers would make it impossible to meet the present situation bv false inflation of values. Mr Evans said that if men on the land • received a slight vise in- prices they would be" able to stay there for years. Producers should certainly protest against Government interforenob with the exchange rate. It should be allowed to work out its own salvation. ,

Air IT. E. .Tesseb said that at present there was no return from second and third-class land. ' Air Wiglitmnn : Tho cost of production must be brought do win ■ - The motion was carried. The Lauriston branch wrote stating that as it was purely' a local matter, the following resolution had been forwarded to the district traffic manager of railways; “That as a matter ox urgency the attention of the Railway Department be drawn to t-lie fact that the facilities at the Lauriston trucking yards arc quite inadequate for the number ol sheep forwarded from there, and that enlargements and improvements are both'desirable and necessary.” . Mr Franks said that the facilities were totally inadequate, and the branch asked for * the Executive’s endorsement. ■ . It was decided to endorse and support the action of the branch. It was decidel to write to the Meat Board and ask if anything had been done in connection with the use or a fire brand on New Zealand meat for export.