National council for agricultural co-ops

Press, 24 December 1982, Page 13

National council for agricultural co-ops

Agricultural co-operatives have formed themselves into a national council to promote and protect their interests and also contribute to their efficiency. The decision to form the council was taken at a meeting in Wellington recently at which about 24 co-operative companies were represented. It followed seminars for members of co-operatives held in Wellington in 1979 and in Christchurch and Auckland last year, at which it was clearly indicated that they wished to see the need

for an over-all co-ordinating organisation investigated. The outcome of this was the formation of a steering committee to look into the proposition and this has been working for about a year. It has been headed by Mr P. H. Elworthy, who is senior vice-president of Federated Farmers of New Zealand and until recently was the chairman of Ravensdown Fertiliser Co-operative. One of the members of the committee has been Mr J. T. Graham, the chairman of the Dairy Board. Mr Elworthy told the Wellington meeting that those in the co-operative companies represented big business — their business amounted to 41 per cent of total agricultural industry output. Gross sales amounted to ?1.8 billion and they had colossal capital assets. Their enterprises constituted an extremely powerful grouping and he suggested that they build on that strength. Referring -to one of the areas that the steering committee had been looking at, Mr Elworthy said therewere great opportunities for rationalisation among cooperatives from working more closely together. Other areas that the committee has been actively working in have included the preparation of a full list of agricultural co-operatives, taxation as it affects cooperatives, the collection of information from overseas about the history and structure of co-operatives, the collection and publication of statistics about co-operatives and the training of directors, managers and employees of co-operatives. A start has been made in this last direction in collaboration with the- Dairy Industry Training Council. The latter area is also considered particularly important in upgrading the

image and efficiency of cooperatives. It is felt, too, that there is a need for the teaching of co-operative philosophies at university level. While there was no opposition to the concept of the council and its objectives, there was concern on the part of some at the meeting that it should not become an organisation which was too expensive. In the motion of Mr D. H. Murdoch, general manager of the Southland Co-opera-live Phosphate Company, which resulted in the formation of the council, some limitation on the level of contributions to the council was suggested. While this had the support of the meeting there was a measure of concern also that this might not provide sufficient finance to cover costs incurred by the council and in particular its ability to cope with any campaign that it might have to mount should the interests of the cooperative movement be threatened. The meeting consequently approved of the council looking at increasing its funding to build up a fund to meet an emergency situation. One of. the functions that the new council is seen as performing is monitoring new legislation. Mr B. K. Cameron, of Pendarves in Mid-Canter-bury, was elected first chairman of the council after Mr Elworthy indicated that as he was no longer a member or chairman of the board of a co-operative he did not wish to carry on. He said that Mr’ Cameron, who had been deputy-chair-man of the steering committee, had indicated that he was prepared to stand for office. Mr Cameron, he said, had knowledge of the movement both in New Zealand and overseas.