Move to have one farming group

Press, 31 May 1977, Page 7

Move to have one farming group

A proposal that Federated Fartrers seek to bring all primary producers in New Zealand within one organisation, whose elected head would speak for all farmers, found sympathy at the annual conference of the North Canterbury province of the federation — but it was rejected. The Dominion president (Mr J. T. Kneebone), who was at the meeting, said that it was a laudable ideal towards which they should be constantly striving. However, while at a national level they spent much time trying to find ways of bringing all farmers into the fold, this had to be tempered by the fact that at times specialist problems had to be dealt with by specialist organisations. New Zealand farmers, he said, also wanted to have farmers of their type running their own affairs so that wool producing farmers looked after wool matters and dairy farmers dairying matters. They tried to bring people together where

they could find a common ground, but in the agricultural or cropping sector it could be difficult to find this common ground, he said. 1 he chairman of the Dominion agriculture section (Mr A. L. Mulholland) said that while a real effort was being made at national level to get common problems into the one melting pot, it would be necessary to be very careful about approaching groups which were now autonomous and masters u. their own destiny. The proposal for a single farmers’ organisation came from the Waimairi branch. Mr J. H. M. Dawson said, for the branch, that at present to many people the federation seemed to represent only the meat and wool section of the industry. They felt that this was rather narrow, considering that there was much more than meat and wool involved in primary production. What was needed was an organisation in which the point of view of all farmers could be brought together as one point of view.

He said that they saw primary production neing more important to the country than was recognised. ' The greater part of the community might not be going to “love” farmers, but they could respect farmers, and hence it was necessary that they stand up and command that respect. Sir William Dunlop, of Burnham, and Mr S. E. Chappell, of Dunsandel, were made life members of the province. Mr Kneebone pinned the life membership badge on the two men. Mr M. R. Barnett said that he did not think anyone had done more for Federated Farmers in North Canterbury or anywhere else than Sir William Dunlop, who is a former national president of the federation. Mr Chappell was a former chairman of the dairy section of the province, who for seven years up to the end of last. year was also field officer with the North Canterbury farm cadet training scheme.