N.Z. FARMERS' UNION.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 125, 27 May 1919, Page 7

N.Z. FARMERS' UNION.

OPENING Or CONFERENCE. PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. The annual conference of the Farmers' I nion opened this afternoon in the Town Hall Concert Chamber, a large number of delegates being present, representa- ; tive of every part of the province. The president, Mr. Jas. Boddie, was in the chair, ani in addition to the Farmers' Union delegates, the Labour Unions had l been invited to send representatives, and several had accepted the invitation. In the course of his opening address, the president, after welcoming the delegates, said they were brought face to face with a startling array of great Unsolved public questions, any one of which might well occupy more time than he could spare for the whole subject matter of his address. He could only, therefore, venture briefly to enumerate a few of the more important. They were: — (1) The immediate introduction of n drastic and progressive land settlement scheme, such to embrace the principle— SO far at least as rural lands are concerned—of occupation of land for production only, and the opening up and placing at the disposal of any one willing to occupy and produce, nil unoccupied Crown, private and Native lands. Tho sub-division of large holdings, so as to encourage closer sottlenient, tho rigid prevention of the aggregation of land already under cultivation. 12) The providing of the proper mean? of access by roads and railways. (.'!)_ The extrusion of suburban services for the purpose of encouraging city dwellers to go into, the country. (4) 'I he development of our natural sources, water power, etc., for the production of cheap power. (5 1 The introduction of a liberal and energetic emigration policy whereby we shall attract our kinsmen from other parts of the Empire to come and occupy the waste lands of this Dominion. (6) The encouragement of city workers to become producers, many of whom would gladly leave their present occupation for the freer life of rural settlement were the way only made possible, and rural settlement made more attractive.