Farm post declined

Press, 16 August 1978, Page 3

Farm post declined

Mr M. R. Barnett, of Dunsandel, who has been deputy chairman of the electoral committee of the Meat and Wool Boards, declined to take on the chairmanship yesterday. He told the committee when he was nominated to succeed Mr T. J. Atchison, who has retired, that he was conscious of his close association with Federated Farmers (he is senior vice-chair-man of the Dominion meat and wool section of the federation) and believed that the committee should stand on its own feet. Mr Barnett also said that

he might not remain a member of the committee long enough to give the continuity and unity to the committee that the former chairman had done.

In a ballot for the office, Mr D. Macnab, of Wanganui, tied with Mr T. H. Crossel (Hawke’s Bay), each man gaining 13 votes. Mr Macnab, who was first elected to the committee about five years ago as an opponent of compulsory acquisition of wool by a central marketing authority, succeeded in a further ballot. He has been president of

the Wanganui province of Federated Farmers since 1971, is chairman of the farm requisites and fertiliser committee of the Dominion council of the Federation. He will represent the federation on the National Plants Advisory Committee.

aMr Barnett will remain on as deputy chairman of the committee. In proposing this course, Mr Crossel said that there was advantage in having the South Island represented at the top level on the committee. Mr Barnett represents the CanterburyWestland district on the committee.