DAIRY FARMERS ORGANUSE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 104, 25 January 1908, Page 3

DAIRY FARMERS ORGANUSE.

. REGISTERED AS AN EMPLOYERS' , UNION. ' . For some, tinio past-tho lack of combination among tho dairy-farmers of .the 'Welliiig; ton .industrial district has militated, against the .advancement- of • tho industry,;from.- tho ",cow." end'of tho business. ,' Tho nonimer-oial'.'add--"manufacturing', portion is;adequately loolicd after by tho' National /Dairy''■Assoqiatibn, -:which is a 'combination or association of■:cheeso'and butter factories, :and whose yieciar functions. jieHain] to freights, storage, and?- tho ■ marketing of ■ .the . manufactured article. But .with regard /to that portion ,of the 'business which has its beginning in the grazing- paddock and tho : breeding of cattlo, and "its culminating point the , dispatch ,'of new:: milk cither, tb' tho factory .or to": trie to\yn ■milk-veiidor. 'thcre has' been no proper organisation.' ■ The . functions pertaining to .this section of the' dairying industry, it ' has;lieen, claimed. .Ha'v(i been! attended- to' by the/New Zealand Earmers' Union; ' but''' some ■ of those : acquainted with' dairying' aver that vthe "Union .referred: to has,' hot given the necessary _at'tention" to .the,requirements of the dairyfa fmers.,' Moreover, it. is 'lirged that , the Now; Zealand' Farmers.'/ Union' is; merely an" "unclassified society,!';and is not recognised bv the.Conciliation Board,or tho Arbitration Court. ' . In:Novemher, last-.,vear, meetings were held at 'Upper Hutt .to^'■.dismiss''. various matters which arose but of recent prosecutions under the dairy regulations, and overtures were mado by the Colonial Secretary of the N'ow Zoalanfl ' Farmers' Union that dairymen should ..throw'"in their Jot /with, that bpdy, and resuscitate tho local .branch, which'had beeri. defunct for,' some two years. The suggestion was, discussed at',-i meeting, and did not'find' favour. . , . -'- i In 'December last it was resolved to establish an Industrial Union of Employers,' and to register under: the Industrial Conciliation and .Arbitration. Apt':of 190u. : and also tb affiliate, with tho Wellington .Employers' A'sapniatio.n. ,' The: Christmas,' holidays to some extent' militated , against tho iniinbdiato ; registration of the Union, owing to the print-ing-offices being-too-busy to print rules, , etc., and tjio Labour-Department officials haying to be,-consulted on -a .number, of matters. Tho cortificato of, registration wa's duly issued an January;l4. , '.; '. Tho Industrial Union is stated to' have oyer fifty names on its roll already for the-Miiy-garoa.';Biding,.,and.jppwer; has. beeri . taken - in; tho rule 3 for- the establishment; of/branches , throughout ; tho, industrial district—which embraces all .tho North .Island' lying to the south of the'Patea and iW'airoa rivers.' ■ Applications ' have already' been received at the Unioniheadquarters, Trentham, .for :instructions, .to formation of briinche's of the .Dairy .'Farmers' Union, and it- is expected a powerful-, combination of small farmers -will rqsnlt, having' for its,, objects ■ tho ,• deyelppment' of tho industry';, assisting ;tho..Govern-, mqnt in .administering the Dairying Act; aiid protection \of' the .'interests of. tho, employers lnva.ll ' cases-,.;Of"! industrial disputes. ' Mr. AyilUam-'-Brown, ; of .is president; ilr. iH.' ,V.'" Bongo, ' of* .Mungaroa, -is yicepfesident,' and' Mr. Angus M'Curdy, formerly organising, .lecturerj for-, tho ; New. ..Zealand J , ar f niers','.'.Union, ,'is.!;the ' secretary -.of-.' the ' newly-formetl.-''Union; j, All. tho members and officer's'. of; the Union.' arc.;. prrictioaL; ;dairyand .small.landholders. •• ;"■ ':■ ,VStops' aro-being' takbuytb' establish; siinijar Unions' in other 'jndiistriai district's,; ahfl/p'rovisibii 5 ' has' been in'ade .in',: the 'rules J for'- the hbldihg:qf,.dist".ict-cbuneils in Junoj. nt'iyliiicli delegates; from all branches -wilV attend discuss '. "niattsrs . with - .the".. Minister arid officials'.-; of ' the- pf.-.'A'griculture' fiom the -.farmers." point of yi 6>v;, s djstiiiot from,:the, manuracturiiig and marketing';of dairy, produce. .The* location 1 ;of' the Union's headquarters?—within a.-.stone's ..throw,.of .the Government \ etermary Laboratory—is most advantageous to :tho X 'mcmbors; '» ; At': the .meeting, of tho Union - held ' kst night the. dairy regulations, as-supplied hy courtesy ;nf .Mr; M'Nab/.iwero discussed, and 'i/numfior of recommendations for presentation' to >the Minister, which,'" while' providing-'" for adequate /inspection and scrupulous :cleanliness, will, if 'adopted, result in matters working more smoothly than iti the'.Tiast. it is proposed to cclobrate the establishment,'of. .the . first purely ' Dairyfarmers' ."Employers' -Union in tho Dominion hy a .smoke concert-in the Oddfellows' Hall. Trentham,» and to invito, tho Ministers for Agriculture and Labour' and tho members for the Hutt and Otaki electorates,' as well as- officers' of tho Departments with which the Union.,comes in touch. - Tho Secretary; has ni.ado arrangements, for the holding - of' weekly meetings ' of /'fanners und. others, interested at 'the - Union's 'registered- office, at which lectures and- discussions Vof an -educational nature will- cako place. " Provision has also--been made for illustrating the subjects by limelight 1 lantern slides. ■ ■> , :i : ' V.v