FARMERS UNION

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 107, 15 February 1935, Page 6

FARMERS UNION

MID-CANTERBURY EXECUTIVE. DERATING OF FARM LANDS. VIEWS OF COUNTIES’ ASSOCIATION. Tlie Mid-Canterbury Provincial Executive of the New Zealand I armera* Union met this afternoon, the president (Mr Raymond Oakley) piesiding. The Ashburton County Council advised that,' as suggested by the executive, arrangements had been made tor the organisation of the country districts in connection with the fire menace. Traction engine owners had been asked to fit spark arrestors and the telephone exchanges had agreed to co-operate in the locating of fires. It was agreed to thank the Council for its action. The Ashburton County Council wrote stating that it had considered the executive’s recommendation to purchase eggs and heads of small biids. It had decided to take no action as the Council had expended a considerable sum of money) to provide poison for the destruction of the birds aiid no further funds were available for the current year. It was also consideied that the best season for combating the pest was now past and it was thought that activities should be held over until next winter. Receipt of the executive’s resolution in connection with the increase in the daily rate of relief pay was acknowledged by the Commissioner of Employment (Mr G. C. Godfrey), the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes) and the Minister of Employment (the Hon. Sir Alexander Young), who stated that the matter would receive due consideration.

The New Zealand Union wrote regarding the conference on the question of the derating of farm lands held by representatives of the Union with delegates from the New Zealand Counties’ Association. The views of the Association were:—(l) The petrol tax should be continued and should be made available for road construction and maintenance purposes only; (2) in lieu of the present system of subsidy on general rates which now obtains, with a maximum of £2500 per annum for any one county, /there should bo substituted direct assistance in the form of a pound for pound subsidy from the petrol tax in respect of all roads other than main highways. The chairman said that the Union was likely to adopt these views. Ilie maximum of £2500 would assist smaller counties and act rather unfairly on the larger ones. The proposals' were endorsed. The New Zealand Union also -forwarded recommendations of the New Zealand Hospitals’ Association and British Medical Association * with regard to hospital and sickness insurance. The proposals would be discussed by the Dominion Executive in conjunction with the. New Zealand Hospital Boards’ Association conference. It was deckled to ask Mr Blomfield (general secretary of the Young Farmers’ Clubs) to address the executive in an endeavour to form 1 one or two clubs in the Mid-Canterbury district. Mr John Brown supported the proposal and said it had been suggested that clubs could be formed at Methven and at Pendarves or Chertsey.#

The chairman reported on ther last meeting of the Dominion Executive ot the Union. He 9aid the 1 GovernorGeneral (Lord Bledisloe) had been made a life member of the Union and would be presented with, a gold and platinum badge. Mr H. C. B. Withell urged that the Dominion Executive should take up the matter of the sale of skins from animals killed at the freezing works with the companies. The Dominion Executive had passed a resolution adopting the Ealing branch’s recommendation that the sales should be made by the farmer rather than by the company, but nothing further had been done.

Mr J. Carr pointed out the difficulties of keeping skins from the various drafts separate and doubted if in the long run it would be more productive to make the sales privately. The cost of keeping the skins separate might be prohibitive. Mr Withell agreed with Mr Carr, but said that if there Avere any profit the farmers wanted it. He thought it Avould be possible without great difficulty to arrange for the farmers to sell their skins. Mr It. W. Wightman raised the question of utilising salt as ballast on ships returning to NeAv Zealand. Farmers would use more if the commodity Avas cheaper, he said. The matter Avas held over.