POOLS AND CO-OPERATION

Evening Star, Issue 17959, 4 May 1922, Page 5

POOLS AND CO-OPERATION

THE NEED FOR- COMPULSION. ADDRESS BY FARMERS’ UNION PRESIDENT. The co-operation of farmers to protect their own interests was tho policy enunciatedl by the dominion president of the Farmers’ Union (Mr W. J. Poison) to an enthusiastic meeting of members at Masterton yesterday. Ho pointed out the necessity for better marketing, shipping, and banking facilities, which could be brought about only by co-operation. He explained what had happened in America in connection with marketing. There tho Farmers’ Union had 1 received- an enormous impetus. It had eight million members, ami had been granted by Congress tiro rights of compulsory pooling. Ho strongly emphasised the necessity for compulsion, and declared that the weakness of the present Meat Export Control Act was the responsibility placed on the shoulders of tho board to decide whether compulsion should be applied or not. He agreed that the board had 1 made a good beginning on small matters, but it could not satisfy the producer until complete compulsion was established. .Ho dealt at length with the proposed dairy pool, strongly supporting the proposal. He urged that with 12,000 miles of a handicap and the strong probability, as tho result of the Genoa Conference, of Siberia’s early return to the butter trade, most complete organisation should be undertaken to enable us to- maintain our position. The union was strongly supporting the dairy pool. He dealt with the question of costs, but characterised the Bolsheviks’ proposal to reduce rents and interests compulsorily as double-edged, andi likely to destroy all confidence in the country. The union was out lor an agricultural banking system, ’cased on the German system. Ho quoted I’u'sident Taft’s address, and explained) bow the system had been adopted in the Utiled States, and what it bad 1 done to provide cheaper ami more plentiful money lor the producers in the country which had adopted it. Ho next explained tho Fanners’ Union shipping proposals, including tho appointment of a shipping board, and- pointed out that it was useless to send trade commissions to the East without shipping. The present freights were prohibitive. We must follow tho example of America, Holland, and Japan, and subsidise shipping if we desired, to participate. He dealt at some length with the work of the union in connection with dairying matters, and explained) that half the members of the union were dairymen. Ho concluded by an appeal for complete unity amongst all classes of tho fanning community at this critical stage.