FARMERS' UNION

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2523, 31 July 1915, Page 8

FARMERS' UNION

THE DOMINION CONFERENCE CONCLUDING BUSINESS 'After a sitting extending over, four days, tho. Dominion Conference of the New Zealand Farmers'. Union was concluded ; yesterday, the president. (Sir Jaioes, G. Wilson) being.iii the chair. i . . A proposal by the Auckland' delegates •' 'That tno conference should enter upon a campaign-to-bring the principle of an Elective Executive clearly -before the electors of'the Dominion"- was lost on the .voices. ■ Tho ..conference resolved: "That the president of 'tho- union and the presi.dorit'iof *'tlie. Council of" the A._.a'nd''P. Associations should be. ex-officio members of the Board of: Agriculture." Disapproval was expressed of. tile system ;,of- registration of dogs by Maori Councils.'. It '.was resolved to" urge tho abolition of tho system. , ' ... Mr. .W. J. Birch (Wellington) moved:. •"That in all future Government conferences on matters vitally affecting fariners' interests,- the Farmers' ■ Union should be requested .to solid representatives." The remit was adopted without discussion. - - Considerable opposition "was offered: to a proposal to placo a tax upon all motordnyen 'vehicles, many delegates contending that -the matter was one oulsido'the province of tie .union. The'remit was withdrawn. Mr. Georgb:'Gardner. (North Canterbury) moved:; "That.effort be mad© to reduce.'the 6 per cent'.: tow allowed at freezing works for cooling;.it. being considered by the farmers; that this allow-

anco is excessive." r ' ' ■ , The president suggested that tho - matter .might be better /.dealt with by carrying the following amendment:— , "That' the s freezing ccmpanies be circularised asking them (1) "to reconsider tho'6 per cent.- allowance for cooling, end'(2) to assist the Farmers' Union in flecuring the abolition iii ; London of tho allowahcevof 21b. on mutton and' lib. on .lamb." ' , The amendment was aiccepted and unanimously adopted. . j\[r. J. : A. Miller (Hawke's Bay) protested against, the action of the-Gov-ernment in declining to'purchase sheep over 851b. He contended that , such sheep should only be rejected when the : Government inspectors certified that ■ they, were grossly fat. : " ' A resolution was cafried embodying the protest made by Mr. Miller.

A remit' "ivas brought, forward from ■ .North."Canterbury suggesting that the conference should place before farmers the benefits of pooling frozen meat. The remit was rejected. ' Approval- was given to . a, remit sug- - {jesting that, where local bodies so desired, /quail should be exempted from the . Acclimatisation: Society's jurisdiction.- v.Y /' , ; : The .conference resolved: "That the Hospital and Charitable' Aid Board Act lje araended so as to give povrer.to locaj bodies to: strike a rate over a defined j area- for the purpose of raising funds for tho upkeep' of a medical, man or a district nurse." On the motion of the Auckland delegate the conference reaffirmed Hie principle that auctioneers' -license fees'i shouhl be paid to Hospital and Chariti; able Aid Boards. : Under the heading of Harbour Boards, the following remits were adopted:— "That for the purpose of electing members'of Harbour Boards, the counties sliould be grouped separately from the hcroughs, eaok to lave equal representation." "That Provincial ."Executive appoint inspection committees ''to ~ visit, the wharves in their respective provinces once -a month, and where necessary sug- • gest improvements'for. : the handling'of produce." • y . A : resolution'was submitted urging the Government to. make" "statutory" ; preference to unionists "illegal," and to -take : from 'tlio Arbitration ' Court the power to grant compulsory preference.. The aoting-ohairman (Mr. G. W/ Leadley) considered that by the passing of this resolution the-conference would make itself ridiculous.

Tb'o remit' was accordingly amended, and carried in such a form that the conference merely expressed its disapproval of statutory preference. . The confcrencei resolved to support the Government in its efforts to keep the prices of oats, wheat, butter, and other commodities at a moderate level during the war; but expressed the opinion that these must be regarded as purely emergency measures, justified only by tho country being at war. Mr. G. W. 'Leadley (Ashburton) brought -forward a motion urging' the Government,' in tlio event of ,tho present system of purchasing meat for the Homo authorities continuing, to purchase tlio meat at an"agreed price, at factory weight, and to make payment •within a month. This was seconded and carried unanimously. _ The opinion was expressed by resolution' "tliat it should be compulsory on all tliresliing-machino owners to insure t : hs threshing hands against accident to relieve the. farmer from any liability."