FRUITGROWERS' ASSOCIATION.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13152, 26 June 1908, Page 5

FRUITGROWERS' ASSOCIATION.

- ♦ The annuel -meeting of the Canterbury Fruitgrowers' Association was held last night, when Mr F. Sisson preeided. Tho annual report sketched the work carried out by the Association during the past year, and stated the Orchard end Garden Pests Act would in tho future be more thoroughly carried out. The question of fruit auctions; had been discussed and the only solution of the di faculty seemed to be by the growers uniting. . The receipts for the year had been £14 IDs 6d, and the expenditure £16 Is 9d. , In moving the adoption' of thc report, the chairman said tlie Association had made good progress during the year and was improving in many ways. Mr Hubbard said that the AssoI cintion deserved the wipport of every fruitgrower in the district, for it was only by continual agitation onUhe part of the Association that so much had already been done for the growers. With the small support it_ had, the Association had done all it possibly could for the industry. The report was adopted. Referring to the scale in hawthorn hedges, Mr Dawes suggested that thc hedges should be replanted and allowed to grow, for that would cause tho scale to disappear. Another speaker pointed out that the railway bodges wcro rarely cut, and yet the scale was abundant in places. The secretary stated that the Government had promised to do what they could to dea' with the pest, but little could he done until new legislation was introduced. The chairman said that tlie pi-oposed legislation should deal with all hedges, those belonging io Government departments as well os to those belonging to private _individuals. The chairman suggested that the growers should combine with the object of purchasing all their supplies at wholesale rat**. He proposed that arrangements should be made whereby preferential rates should be obtained for members of the Association. If that, were carried out, it would not only benefit the members, but it would strengthen the Association by increasing tho membership. Fiirthermone, the fact of an increas-d membership would lend additional weight to any representation the Association might make to the Government. The proposal was discussed ot some length and it was decided to formulate a scheme to carry out the objects proTh- following officers were elected: — President, Mr F. Sisson; committee, Messrs Blakeway, Wray, Flitch, Hubbard and North.