FARMERS' UNION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1509, 3 August 1912, Page 8

FARMERS' UNION.

Y ..- T DOMINION CONFERENCE. PARTY SYSTEM DISCUSSED. ' ELECTIVE EXECUTIVE APPROVED. The annual Dominion Conference of the New" Zealand .Farmers' Union was continued yesterday, under the chairmanship ;■ of Mr. G. : W. Leadley.. . ! P6stal Matters. ! Postal facilities formed the subject of iv vomit brought forward by Mr. 11. A. 'Kevins (Wellington!, and seconded "by . Mr.. W. B. Matheson, to the effect that [■■- the conference express its appreciation of . . the facilities, being given to the farming t'oiitm'unity in'the.matter of rural deliveries, but hopes that the Department will extend the deliveries as widely as possible. This received the sanction of those present. Mr. Novius. further asked, and "the conference agreed, (hat., the. price of private bags b? reduced when delivered only 1 . twice a week.- . .' . . Messrs; D. ' M.. . Philip. . and J. Kegg i (Otago) were responsible for a remit asking that. the. conference deprecate the custom, now' coming into operation, of closing country post offices'lor one day, or part.of a day, in the week, as .being an unjust curtailment of the' business hours of the pc:ipla in (Ue district where .this custom."is. in force. This, however, was thrown out. Teachers' Salaries. The matter of teachers' salaries -was brought up by Mr. Foster (Southland), who asked that a deputation wait on the 1 Minister for ■ Education, requesting'him' 1 to raise the salaries of solo teachers in Grade I schools to a minimum of-«£3o per '■ annum. i The motion was lost. .' j, The New High Commissioner. On the motion of Mr. H. A. Nevins, seconded by Mr. Vavasour, it" was resolved that the conference convey to the Hon. T. Mackenzie its congratulations on his appointment as' High Commissioner.

,' The Party System. .Onlwhalf .of. the Auckland Union, Major liiisk moved:—"That this' conter- ' eueo considers that ,tho tinio has come 'when tlio present: 'party system' should be ' superseded by some form : of government by elective executive, as being a form of government calqulaled to more'truly carry into'en'eet the,views of the electors, , . and tending to eliminate from the politics of this Dominion the many' evils which . - havo grown' up around tho 'party : fcysteni.'" . Major Lusk. remarked that there was an extraordinary, amount of wire-pulling . and inconsistency in the old party system. Because .of this system men had said in certain positions that they could not ; . i desert their party, or.vote against it, although they had pledged themselves to certain subjects. This was sufficient to ;. condemn tho system allogcther. There had been an enormous waste of timo and '.' money* more than-half the. time of each sitting of Parliament being occupied, not in considering (lie business of the country, , but in trying to turn one party out and ' get another in. Tho Elective Executive had been'iu operation.in Switzerland for many years, and. it had acted well there. He thought 'this system • would do away ■with the greater part of the evils that had arisen in-our public life. 1 Captain Colbeck. (Auckland) seconded I the motion, and spoke "strongly in favour, i of it. ■■■'.. i, . Miv Vavasour (Marlborough) supported the .motion. He thought the party system was one of the greatest drawbacks cif the present day. He held that no man who i belonged to party government could bo thoroughly honest. (Laughter, and "Hear,, hear.") A man had to sacrifice his own opinions to his party. , 'The whole of the vicious legislation of the last twenty . years couid be laid at the duor of part'v I government. The sooner the party system ; , was dono away with, the'better it would be for-the Dominion as a whole. .■Mr. Ncvins, (Wellington; -favoured the r~ "present system of government. . j' Mr. Birch (Wellington) said it was impossible, for any body of men to settle this question in. a five" luiuutes* debate. i There wero evils in the party system, but they must be .very, careful before they urged another system without going into it very minutely. He would vote against the motion. , Mr. Begg (Otago) also opposed the motion. He alleged th;>t the Electivo Executive in Switzerland had ' become more autocratic than any party government in the world. If the system.was so successful as some people claimed, 1 it was strange that it had not been copied in other parts. Mr. Talbot (Canterbury) said the mohon. showed the trend of public thought, but he did not supnosa it would be carried. The present svstem had, in , his opinion, outlived its usefulness, and under it they could not gel: the best men. As things stood, the parties did their best to discredit one another, and put ono out and the other in. Personally, ho thought i the time had arrived for a change in the system. Mr. Nesbet (Pelorus Sound) Ihotmht the' motion should be withdrawn as they had not had timo to consider the matter."■ Mr. M'Qucen (Southland) said it was the fault of tho people that the best men jvero not put into Parliament. One of the best things about the party system •was that, it retarded foolish legislation. Mr. Matheson (Wellington) thoughtthey should give a lead by discussing the question.. Mr. Richards (Levin) did not think tho conference had had time to consider tho matter. He suggested that it should be referred to the provincial'conferences. Mr. Campbell (Wanganui) said ho was against party Government and he looked upon it as one of the curses they, in New Zealand, iiad to suffer under. Mr. Moss (Wellington) said party govoriimenf. was the curse of the farmers of New Zealand. The party system had been tried ami Men found'wanting. Major Liijjf, in reply, said he realised that toe matter could not be. disposed of ma fire-minutes' debate, and ho was not altogether opposed to the suggestion tlmt_ it should be referred to the Provincial Conferences. ' The new. schema, ho thought, would not give the secondclass man u elmr.ee. Under the present system a second-rater often came to the front simply because ho was a "barrncker' for party. ■ The motion would not disturb anything at present existing, but would point that they thought that a chango was necessary.. Tho motion wf:s carried bv 13 votes to I), tho suggestion thai: the matter should Jw referred to the Provincial Conferences being lost by 12 votes to 10. Racial Legislation. In regard to racial legislation tho i. Auckland Union moved: "That the timo has arrived when all distinctive legislation for the Maori race be repealed and that the Ma-n-i* bo placed on (.he same footing as their white fellow citizens, having the samo privileges and rcsnons••bilities." The mover, Major Lusk, said tho Natives had advanced in knowledge and education and were very often on a par with the white man and should be jlnced on the same tooting as tho L'uroDoau. The Natives themselves desired this. At present the Natives had the Deucfifs of all the privileges, but shared dons of tho responsibilities. He thought tho timo had arrived for the, doing away ; with the present distinctions. Mr. M'Queen did not think it was fair te ask that, a race that had just, emerged from savagery should bo placed on the ■ same footing as we were on. The motion was carried. Back-Block Requirements. Tho Marlborough Union moved: "That Hie vicious' system of expending huge sunjfl of public money in the election of < lostly public buildings in tho largo towns 1.3 discontinued and that more attention l>o given to the requirements of tho back-blocks in tho way of roads, bridges, and railways." . In tho samo connection Hnwko'e Bay moved that this union urge an economic,

.and just expenditure o'f public funds tho two motions were taken together Mr. Mackay (Marlborough) spoke of somo length on the huge expenditure inado on post offices and railway stations in the tour centres.! This expenditure, he said, was criminal and the money should w spent in developing tho back country and giving the settlers these facilities lor getting their produce out. Both motions were carried unanimously. __- Aid to Settlers. , For tho Pelorus Sound Union, Mr V™t C£ °'l , I " o ™ l v" J ' hi >t the conference leprcsent, to the Government the desirability of granting financial assistance to those requiring it, in the form of fencing material to Crown tenants hnvinbadly infested fern .country, on terms similar to the finuncinl awl given to settlers in procuring grass seed, etc. The cans to bo approved by tho local land' boards, each individual case to bo reported upon by tho Crown Lands Ranker .tho maximum amount of loan to bo £50; the currency five years, interest 5 per centum per annum, and repayments to be halt-yearly." ■ The motion was carried. Seed-Growing Association. , A mofion was tabled by Wellington that a seed-growing association be formed under the New Zealand Farmers' Union. tlt was decided to refer the matter to the Provincial Executives for consideration. . Packing of Manures. The much debated matter of packing of manures' brought forward three remits as under:—"That the union draw attention to the unsatisfactory proposition of manures packed in pajisr-lincd -bags, as it would not be in- the.interests of the workers or importers, as same would not meet I tho trouble complained of, and recom-mends-that forty-four inch corn sacks be used. Kelson:—"That artificial manures be in.bags, containing 1401b., with four lugs, one at each corner, and that no hooks be used in handling the bags." Wellington:—"That all manure be placed in bags of not more than 14!)lb. weight. Bags ■to.be made with four lugs, one lug at each corner for convenic-nco of the waterside workers handling the same. No.hooks to be used in handling." Captain . • Colbeclc explained at some length the negotiations, which had gor« on up to dale between; the Auckland' Union and the workers. So far. the waterside workers had abided loyally by -their agreement with-the union, but there might be further trouble at tho end of the six months. They did not want any trouble,: but.if it came the farmers were so organisvd that they would unload the manure themselves.

Mr. M'Queen suggested that the union should give a reward for an- 'improved hook for use ..on manure.: "and '.'cement.. Much trouble was caused by'the present form of hook.' ".'''.

The three motions were' carried, an alteration being made in the Nelson and Wellington motions reducing the weight of the bags from lffllb, to 1121b.

Amalgamation of' Local Bodies. The Marlborough Union moved that local bodies should not be amalgamated unless by petition of the ratepayers of any two or more districts concerned. The motion was carried.

The Dog tax. \ ■'■ The Hawke's Bay Union moved: "That local''bodies be asked'to hold their dog tax collectors responsible for the destroying of all dogs they are unable to regisJer." . The motion-was lost.'

Sheep-worrying. It was decided, on the motion of the Wellington Union, that the conference protest against tho dual control which permits the Maori Council to issue dog licenses, and asks tho Government to pass legislation making the comity councils the sole authority in that direction.

Experiment Farms. The North Canterbury Union moved: "That, the Minister for Agriculture bo requested to establish experiment stations and dairy schools in suitable localities." This was agreed to.

Agricultural Training. The Auckland Union moved: "That the Government be asked to arrange that all niole students attending "Teachers' Training Colleges' shall have six months' education on a Government farm." The motion, was lost. . Drovers' Licenses. The Wellington Union moved that night-licenses be issued in duplicate, and one copy bo forwarded to the district |>olice, also that the attention of the authorities be called to tho fact that stock is being driven at night without a license. . The motions were agreed to. Dirty Sheep; It was decided, on tho motion of the Hawke's Bay Union, that the conference urge on the sheep-farmers of the-Domin-nion tho necessity for seeing that- their sheep aro properly dagged before sending them to the freezing works." Wool Draft. Tho North Canterbury Union (Mr. Sheat) moved:—"That this-conference express an opinion as to whether there is any necessity apart from custom, to allow one pound per cwt. draft on wool to secure to the buyer a cwt. of wool in a fair commercial sense?" . ■ The mover said they felt that this was an impost which should be removed. The conference agreed with Mr. Sheat. Inspecting Oil-Engines, A motion was forwarded by North Canterbury: "That tho Government should be urged to exempt from inspection all oilengines in use on farms, for the inspection of same and fee charged is unwarranted, seeing that there is less danger in connection with the working of these machines than" with many other implements used on the farm during the year." The motion was carried. Horse-Stealing, . Tho Otago Union moved:': "That tho union request that the law'relating to horse thieving be altered, as at present no theft is committed until a horso is offered for sale, and the only satisfaction the owner can have is by a civil action on account of any monetary loss he has suffered." The motion was agreed to. Game Preservation Act. Two remits camo from Auckland regarding tho Gamo Preservation Act as follow:—"That owing to tho loss occasioned by quail, more especially to bush settlers, by destruction of seed and tho spreading of noxious weed seeds, Cue Minister of Internal Affairs be approached with a view of quail being excluded from the Game Preservation Act in districts where a majority of settlers express the desire through their local bodies." "That it bo a recommendation to the Government to remove the protection from the opossums." Both motions wero carried. Storage at London Docks. On the motion of tho North Canterbury Union it was decided "That large insulated stores aro of most urgent necessity at the London docks, as receiving stores to expedite delivery and to safeguard tho condition of frozen produce, and that the High Commissioner for New Zealand 1)0 asked to further this great necessity, and to report fully." " . Mortgagee Indemnity. It was resolved that the conference recommend that mortgagees' security should not be liable for claims under the Workers' Compensation for Accidents Act. Socialism. The Hawke's Bay Union moved: "That the union do nil in its power to defeat (he ends of the extreme Socialist party,"

The motion was carried without debate. Single Tax. On the motion of the Wellington Union it was decided "That the union take steps to, organise n strong opposition to tho single-tax proposals now being urged throughout the country."

Workers Compensation Act. The Wellington Union moved: "That any amendment repealing Section 10 of the Act, thereby abolishing the right of appeal to the Supreme.Court be strenuously opposed." The motion was agreed to.

Concerning Land Agents. The Auckland Union moved: "Thatland agents be legalised and licensed, the same as auctioneers arc licensed." The chairman said a Bill would be before a committee of the House on Tuesday week, when any persons desirous of doing so could express their opinions. The motion was carried. Agricultural Reports. The Auckland Union moved:—"That tho Dominion office issue blank forms (a and b) to all provincial executives quarterly, . with a view of obtaining true reports of Hie (season s prospects for all farm products:—(a) Form for Provincial Executive to forward to their branches to fill in; (b) for a summary of the branch reports by each provincial office for publication. The motion was carried: Launch Regulations, '■ It was decided, on the motion of Peloms Sound, that manly of the launch regulations relating to private launches not plying for h'.re, are unnecessary restrictive, and are particularly a hardship to bounds settlers, whese launches are their only means of locomotion, ami that tho Government bo asked to amend same. Encouraging New Arrivals. The South .Canterbury Union moved:— "That the conference considers that tho amount of landing monev, which has to. be produced when emigrants npplv for reduced fares, is a bar to immigration." The mover, Mr. Talbot, remarked, that we now wanted immigrants, and the landing money was a liar. Further, when the present regulation was complied with, the money was often borrowed at Home, arid sent hack there on the arrival of the immigrant. The motion was carried. Noxious Weeds, Mr. Matheson moved that the -Noxious. Weeds Act be amauded so that where sinv county declares a weed a noxious weed, it shall apply to all boroughs w'lthin it's boundaries. The motion was carried. The Residential Clause. Mr." Campbell moved that it he a recommendation from the conference that extra improvements of land be substituted for the residential clauso in the Land Act. Tho merer urged that there were many people who could not go and reside on the land who could still 'improve it immensely, a.rid wished to do so in order that their children could go on to it. ■ The motion was seconded by Major Lusk. Mr. Matheson said that whenever there was laud open there were alwaiys plenty of people who would both resido on the land and improve it. The motion was carried. The conference closed with votes of thanks to the chairman and officers, and to the press for their full and accurate reports of the proceedings of the conference.