N. Z. FARMERS' UNION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 772, 22 March 1910, Page 10

N. Z. FARMERS' UNION.

'J •;■■.•.■:. IIiNGAWEKA'BEANCH.;' ! ';■.!'" ;.• On Saturday last a tell-attended meet.ing of farmers was held in thVAsstiblv" ■; ; Rooms, .-Mangaweka, Mr. A.. Cmickshank- ' p_reßidiiig..:;-The ■attendance was' thoroughlyrepresentative of . each - district ■ Many-farmers having.come in froni'fis far .as fifteen miles away. .-'.-■ '■' : '■'' :/ °{«WAe. meeting, the chairman .said that they were, met'together for .-, -two purposes,.one being the.annual meeting of the branch, While'. the other was-. .to.hear an address frotji.Mr.' J. G. Fowler i-::Provinraal -.organiser. The-chairman' also" . 'saw-that, the;-presence "of such-a :. Bumbfr of farmers. :spoke/,vblumes foV the efforts which'the organiser had put forth. ■'■' ...;".'■'-.-'.■..,!. .-, ■■'- ■■ : -. • . ?...- ■ ■ wl€r opme(l his remarks by-eay-V .l?g'.tnat- to see. such. p. well-attended meet,,ing in.Mangaweka;-where some said the ...larmere. Union 'was dead, was exceed- ,; Wgly gratifying;; In fact,' it was one-of • i.tho best.ineetiiMshe had-had the pleasure • -; -of' addressing;during his posi tion as • pro.vincial organiser,; .As.many'farmers who ;.; had been .vjsited. had little' id« a . of what ,the union really'is,',-a. statement of its : •'■ m?™ tS^ s T^ atl «,- "■ T hit E«<=d has" the >■ tanners Union done?." a question asked ; ; by many, .was replied to by showing," not ~,oi^y. the ijenefits-obtaiMbk by the°ieni- : lwrs :from a/.c-Dmrnercial point of view' ;..but also" how that "■ on tfiß great laud ..questioh;in the Dominion the flat of the .-freehold was waving. as strongly as ever, ' a w, 'ha' n °t only .was"if "hailed to- ; the ■ ...mast, but that before it weiit'.down tho , ,ehip must go as well. The'principle of .ireedomof coatraot on the farm was'also' dealt with, and' it, was''shown that by : - ; the- efforts of the'. Union; , that-.principle BtiU prevailed. Some: explanation of the .-■'. farmers' Union -'Mutnal.Kre Insurance .-■Association was given; and the reasons ,- -for.its 'introduction and the methods of .'; its business,.were explained fully. It ; v -was stated' that to-day' fhe Farmers' -Union can give its members a lower rate :-.'• of cover than.cuy. other institution. The speaker said that .though it frequently :.,- happened that; a: farmer might not have ;; a''free- hand ;in"placing ■ hie '{insurance business vrhere.'-. he'.'desired, still in', tho majority' of 'cases ho' could insure his furniture and the contents of his buildings, in the Farmers'. Mutual, and he ■strongly, appealed to all. farmers to support their own office by.handing'to it any business-whicli it was in their power to ; bestow. After, a few further remarks, the organiser concluded his address, which was hea-rtily applauded. A vote of thanks was carried on the motion of Mr. ..Tanse'y, seconded by Jtr.- Haigh. . .-. 1 The chainiiau then called on Mr. .11. . : Tansey,".branch secretary, to.: read the ' balance-sheet,' and after slight discussion this was adopted. . -.-... The election of oEßcials resulted in Mr. '•■ S. S. Haigh being elected chairman, and Mr. A. G. Luxmore being appointed sec- •■' retary and treaeurer. The following ftentlemeh were appointed -to tho executive of- the branch:—Messrs. D. Watkins, H. C. JVilson, H.. B. Hammond, L. "Weston, N. Stevens, W. A. Officer, nnd G. G. Oliver. ; Dr.-Turnbull was appointed auditor. The chairman (Mr. S. S. Haigh) was chosen as delegate to represent tho branch" at the Provincial Conference in Marton. . - ■'~ Tho meeting closed with the usnal : oomplimontary votes of . thanks. Mr. .Fowler ako visited the Te Kapu district, and held n successful iiieetinj in lhe : Tiriraukawa Schoolroom. As it was .'Considered'that, there were not sufficient farmers to form a branch, some-'joined ..that at Taihape, v;hi!e others threw in their lot with Mangaweka.

-■Farmers in North Canterbury say that they do-not remember the flips and bo'ts being, <o bad for horics as they are this year. ■ . ' .