FARMERS' UNION.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11565, 23 April 1903, Page 5

FARMERS' UNION.

THE- NORTH CANTERBURY JvXECTJTITE.

The. Executive of tin , . North Canterbury district of the New Ztahn-d Farinora , Union ii.-..r. in lhc Agricultui.il and Pastoral Af-.-o-oial ion's rooms yesterday. Piewin— .Mv.-is-rs H. F. Rctc« (in'the du-.h), H. R:iiney, D.-Jones, G. Gardner, J Hi-niy. \V. F. -Pann-ctt, J. O'Ha'.oiari, J. !>tu<jholme. R. l!«id. W. McMillan, A. Allan, and J. Sf-ud holme.

The Kicrftary won instructed to -vrrite to the- Minis'..;]- for Railways asking him to appoint, a to- tivoii a oonimlttw in regard to l-ho unsatjsfaoto-ry method of weighing -pioducv, find thn question of a. reduction in the. -fivight. c-hr.ry.s on frozen n:i"r.t. Th? name of .Mr J. Lani'bie. was added to iilio '.■onir.ut.tt'e. lii. was decided to'wriie- to the President of the Agricultural

and Paslonl Assodatdon, tha-t '.'ho Union should be ailc-ivcd to be repnwnted re ah?- conference to bt>; held next i-atmday, en the qi'.f-ition of railway rates. Mrssra Pannott, O'Hailo-ran, Knirey, asid McLMillaa were 'to rcpr-csc-iii the- Union.

The j;<r.i'.nil organising sea'et.iry wrottthr.t 'he was stirring up the branches in Tarrvnaki, an>l that attempts vtre b-?iiit; jnadi to viSU'.blish a branch at >7<?w Plymouth. The Union numbered, approxira*t«ly, 20,000 member.'! ut the present/ time, and mora vrero joining day.

Tho sccietary'e draft annual report, for prcec-Eta'.tion to -the conference, v.-as approved ::i iit«s present form, and left in the har.uK of Mr G. W. Lcadky and the secre-t-avv to o-laoonito.

The balance-sheet was adopted

Tlw Employers' Association wrote suggesting that the Union .should draw up a list of objections to tlw proposal of compulsory preference t-o Uniouisiw. The President' and Secretary, and Messrs Studholma and Lanibio were elected a committee to dr.iw up n. number of reasons in opposition to the principle, to Ik: brought uj> sit t-li'j ajinual confert n-e. The executive had previously pispiified to the Emp'.oyprs' Association their antagonism to thf svsievn.

Mr O'ffallurun stated that in his opinion members of the Union should certainly be represented on the Chamber of Commerce, and other 'bodies which made ru'e-s to covem the actions of farmers. Ho

j-.rr-poscd a motion to that effect. Tho id'?a nns warmly taken up by other

speaker?.

Mr Pannetttfaidhe thought the meeting in adopting Mr O'Hnllornn's eujrgeation should bo careful not to cast any slight upon the Ohambsr of Commerce, which had generally tried to do it* best for farmers.

.Mr Stndholme. ptatpd that the Chamber f'f Commerce Tras undoubtedly a body which represented tho and the interests of farmers mijxht. oft-sn conflict with the interests of that, class. He could not see that farmers had any more ri2;i to representation on the Chamber of Commerce, than had merchants to belong to the Farmers' Union. What th-» farmers should do was to strengthen, their own Association. The Secretary and Cliairman both thought that Mr O'Halloran's proposal «".->« impracticable, and after s-ome discus■'•oti it was withdrawn. Mr .Tone}; t-hea propo-ed that Mr OTlal'orr.n asked to ascertain th* condition. , --»£ memb-jrship of the Chamber of Comruerce. and report to the new executive. Th-3 motion was carried unanimously.

Tko date of tho Provincial Conf?rci3Ce «as Gxtd for May 2Sth and 29th. The executive will meet at 10.30 a.m., and the Conference itself at 11.30.