Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18th., 1930. FARMERS’ UNION

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 June 1930, Page 6

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18th., 1930. FARMERS’ UNION

*jpHE Farmers’ Union annual conference is probably the most important of any national gatherings regularly held in this country, the delegates representing the industry and interests paramount in the Dominion. It is a great pity that the agenda paper is always so over-loaded, that the Conference has no chance of adequately discussing and dealing with many important remits. Weeks, rather than days, would be required to handle all the business placed before the meeting and as a consequence of insufficient consideration, approval is sometimes given or withheld, when such attitude does not represent the real opinions of the delegates. The Union’s executive should have greater power of censorship of remits, and if these are important as well as numerous, a policy of preference should be instituted.

Such a procedure would not onlysave the delegates’ time, but their decisions would carry greater weight with the outside public. The most .sympathetic find it difficult, at present, to keep up with the wide field covered by the conference’s decisions, whereas if less were attempted more outside consideration would be possible. The farmers start with certain advantages. The importance to the country of primary industries is generally realised, and there is a desire to aid the men on the land in every way practicable. By asking too much, they endanger the prospects of obtaining assistance and support where it is due. The mere passing of numerous remits does not result in much that is of service in solving rural problems.

Leaving the general and coming to the particular, the attitude of I farmers towards Empire tariffs, as [outlined at yesterday’s meeting, is understandable. As the Homeland is the Dominion farmers’ main customer, the New Zealand producers would naturally be willing to reciprocate by making it easy for Homeland manufactures to be sold here. The effect of such free trade on New Zealand’s own secondary industries was not stressed, but it would be by others were the question to become really prominent. Resolutions were passed against the importation of goods and cars from U.S.A. How many of the delegates, or N.Z. farmers, generally, refrain from using American goods? A little personal practice could achieve more than many remits. There will be general sympathy for the conference’s protest against the numerous statistical returns demanded from farmers, whose time could be better utilised in some instances. None wishes to decry the importance of correct national statistics, but reasonable limits should be observed. Land valuation is always a sore point with most farmers and it is to be hoped that the forthcoming interviews with the Valuer-General, will lead to happy compromise. Many remits approved had for object the increase of State aid to rural residents and industries, and opposition was expressed to any increase of wages to any section of the community. Farmers cannot be blamed for looking after their own interests, but narrow views seldom make for the constructive policy essential if conferences are to be worth while.