FARMERS CONFER

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 15, 28 October 1938, Page 6

FARMERS CONFER

PROPOSED TRIP TO OTAGO. AN INSTRUCTIVE JOURNEY. THE 11 ID-CANTER BU B Y EXECUTIVE. The Mid-Canterbury Provincial Executive of the Farmers’ Union met this afternoon in the National Chambers, the president (Mr C. C. W inn) presiding over a good attendance. The itinerary for the proposed tour of the Centrai Otago irrigation aveafc from November 2l to November 26 was presented by the committee in charge of the arrangements. The trip would he open to members of the Union only, and bookings would have to be made by November 4. The total cost would be £6 6s.

The president thanked the committee for the work it had put into the arrangements, and said the trip should be a most valuable one, in view of tbe fact that the County had; been committed to a huge irrigation scheme, and it was 1 the duty of farmers to learn as much as possible about irrigation before the water was actually put on the farms. He urged members to take the • trip, which would he a very instructive one.

Air W. R. Hammond said that the bus engaged would take IS) passengers. Details of the itinerary were discussed, and members agreed with the president’s view of the instructive nature of the tour.

It was stated that nine members had already signified their intention of making the trip, and two others at the meeting stated they wished to he added to the list. The llakaia- branch wrote that it wished to have the numbers of stock to be offered at Addington markets made known to tbe public, so that farmers could suit themselves whether they sent stock forward. The branch wished also to enter a protest against the price for cutting chaff. The president said that the Standing Committee had considered the first suggestion, and could not recommend any steps being taken to alter the present system. The committee did not think any good: purpose could he served by adopting the llakaia suggestion.

The second portion of the letter was considered in camera.

It was agreed that the first portion of the letter should he sent to the several branches for their opinions.

The president stated that the question of farm costs, recently before the Executive, would be referred to the next- Canterbury-IYestland Group meeting.

An appeal for a. donation to tbe Chinese refugee children fund was received from the Town Clerk (Air R. C. Major). The president said the Standing Committee was of the opinion that the appeal, for a worthy cause, should bo a matter for individual effort.

This recommendation was accepted. In regard to liability for accidents caused through the placing of mail boxes and cream cans on tlie sides of the roads, Mr F. Frampton stated that the Ashburton County Council had found that it could take a public risk policy at a cost, of about 3d a box, but nothing further had bebn done in regard to the matter.

A letter from the Cawtliron Institute, Nelson, stated that it had not sufficient information to formulate any control methods to suit farm conditions. An assistant research, worker would be engaged as from the end of the year to go into the question of grass grub control. He would be stationed in Canterbury. Letters were also received: from the Department of Agriculture in regard to the general lighting of fires on farms for a week when the grub bad reached the flying stage, the time to bo fixed by officers of the Department. The president said that these results had come about through the letters sent by the Executive some time ago, when it asked that research into the problem should be carried out. Data would: be collected in the meantime by the Department officers in Ashburton to be banded over to the research officer. Mi 1 Dunkloy said the inefficiency of the entomological officers was amazing, in view of what had been said in the letters.

The meeting went into committee to further discuss the question. The Dominion Executive representative on the New Zealand Lime Supply Investigation Committee (Mr W. Horrobin) wrote that he was in full agreement with the findings of the MidCanterbury Executive’s committee’s findings on the question of liirae. The president said the committee had met the Union representative last week, when delegates from the North and South Canterbury Executives also attended. Mr L. O. Oakley said the Union could rest assured that its representation on the New Zealand committee could not be improved on. The representative had a vast knowledge of lime and its uses.

The president endorsed this statement.

Mr A. P. Bruce said 'there bad been persistent rumours that the Mid-Can-terbury Executive had approached the Government asking that it take over the lime industry as a monopoly. The president: I can give a very direct “No” to that. The committee, he added, had not made any representations along the lines of the rumours, and had not made any request for zoning such as had been suggested from South Canterbury.