CONFERENCE OF NURSERYMEN

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2668, 13 January 1916, Page 9

CONFERENCE OF NURSERYMEN

THE REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE. The annual conference of the New Zealand Association of Nurserymen will commence at Wellington on Wednesday next, and will be opened by the Prime Minister. The report of the executive to be laid before the conference states that the year just passed through has been a strenuous one, but notwithstanding the war and consequent dislocation of many nursery staffs, most of the members report Wat trade has been well up to the average, and that the season's work has been got through with fair dispatch. Some association members and many of their employees, have gone to the front. Some time ago the executive decided to prepare a- Roll of Honour for the nursery and seed trades. Considerable information has been supplied, and, the roll will be completed in dub time. Referring to the Horticultural Industries Bill, the report states that during the last session of Parliament a deputation of fruitgrowers waited 011 the Prime Minister and urged the Government to bring down the Bill. The deputation was supported by one from the Nurserymen's Association, organised by the executive. Mr. Massey promised that the Bill should bo introduced, but owing to the war it was deferred for another year', The Hon. Mr. MacDonald, Minister" for Agriculture, now states that he hopes to bring it down during next session. If the association is to get recognition promptly it will be necessary to put more energy into Parliamentary work before next session. Only a short time since tho Agricultural Department wrote that it would, in deference to the wishes of the o.ssociation, in future refrain from.competition with nurserymen in the supply of trees and plants to private persons.' Now the matter has cropped up again in connection with'the Lands Department, v.'lnch announces that it will supply farmers and others with forest and shelter trees at bare cost. It is 'inderstood that the. first distribution will take place during the coming season. This is a. matter which conference will be asked to deal with. The action of the last conference in adopting minimum prices for all standard lines and requesting the nurserymen throughout' the Dominion to maintain them has been well received, and, with a few exceptions, they have been loyally kept. The secretary of one local council writes:—"Our council has benefited considerably by the prices fixed by last conference." Another says: ."The association's prices are quite satisfactory to our members." There are reports of increased trade from Southland, Hawke's Bay, Taranaki, and Waii"anui, where auction sales have been abandoned altogether. The executive is gratified! with the response that tJie trade gave to its request for advertisements for 1915, more especially in the matter of publication of trade lists; thus enabling the issue for 1915 to be far larger and more representative taan any previously sent out. The total receipts for the year for advertisements and reprints have been £110 45.; wlido the total cost of printing and publishing has been £79 4s. 7d., leaving a net profit of £31 9s. 5d During the year the association lost by death two members One, the late Mr. 3ohn Sharp, of Cambridge, had been connected with the nursery trade in toe Auckland district for the last fifty years. The other, Lieutenant E. C. Perry, of Invorcargil, fell while serving his country at the front. ■