FARMERS’ UNION

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 July 1945, Page 8

FARMERS’ UNION

CONFERENCE DECISIONS. WELLINGTON, July 19. The serious effect of probate and estate duties on reproductive capital was emphasised at the New Zealand Farmers’ Union annual conference to-day. It was decided to represent that probate and estate duties be revised to prevent the exhaustion ot reproductive capital. The conference urged the Government to review the incidence of taxation as it affected land production. It was held that the present heavy taxation restricted production, and prevented the development of considerable areas' of unimproved or par-' tially unimproved land. Taxes should be removed which directly increased the costs of working land or took from the occupier an undue proportion of resources he would otherwise spend on land maintenance or development. The present method o.L levying taxation on farm income was unsound. It made no proper allowance for land depreciation, which was taking place on most pastoral land, and was the direct cause, of “mining” such land, contributing substantially to lowered fertility and the erosion of at least several million acres.

It was decided that the Dominion executive draft petition forms on hospital rating, to be sent to all branches for signing by all ratepayers. Delegates spoke against a proposal to be submitted to the counties’ conference that hospital rating be stabilised on 1939 level. The tax, being wrong in principle, and unjust, it would be admitting liability if such a proposal were adopted. The conference decided to send a deputation .to the counties’ conference.

The conference decided to draw the Government’s attention to inflation caused by the use of credits created through the Reserve Bank. Another remit which was adopted was that the conference viewed with alarm the departure from stabilisation disclosed by wage increases, without any corresponding and immediate increase in the monetary return to primary producers, and urged that steps be taken forthwith to increase ' meat and other produce prices to counteract those increased costs. It was said that the Government could not expect maximum production unless primary producers were assured of a reasonable return. The election of officers resulted: — Dominion president. Mr. W. W. Mulholland (Darlield); vice-president overseas, Colonel F. Waite; vice-pre-sidents, Messrs A. Briscoe Moore (Whangarc-i) and K. J. Holyoake, M.P. (Dannevirke); Dominion treasurer, Mr. W. Horrobin (Waikanae); past president, Mr. W. J. Polson, M.P. (Stratford). All were reelected unopposed, Mr. Mulholland for his tenth term.

CO-OPERATIVE WORKS WELLINGTON, July 19. The possibility of establishing farmers’ co-operative meat freezing works was discussed at ■ the anniA.il conference of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union to-night. A remit was put by the Dominion executive that: (a) a committee be &et up to discuss with the Meat Board and the electoral college of the board the policy of co-operative ownership of any suitable freezing works which might be offered for sale, and that financial assistance from the Meat Board be fully discussed; (b) proposals for acquiring a freezing works, to be operated on a co-operative basis, be supported; (c) the placing of a caveat on the sale of meat works be endorsed, and the Moat Board asked to place full data before farmers at the earliest possible moment. This was approved unanimously. Mr. J. L. Hammond (Marton) said members had been put on the Meat Board two years ago to stop the sale of further works to overseas interests. The board decided on a co-operative policy as an alternative. The Government would accept a farmers’ co-op-erative, or failing that, allow the sale to Swifts. There would be no “dry” shareholders in such a co-operative works, but the holdings would be on the basis of stock offered. The works would be for killing only. If farmers wanted an operating company, they must.be prepared to do as they had before, lose hundreds of thousands of pounds and their works. Ngarauhanga was a key works, killing GOO,OOO, and was leased to Swfts for five years on a lease due to expire in September. It would be unfortunate if the works came on to the'market. Though it was a bad works to start a co-opera-tive scheme, the fact remained that it was offered.

Mr. G. H. Grigg, said he had addressed meetings before Taihape and Wellington but farmers were reluctant to’ give a 10-year guarantee to supply stock. The policy of the Meat Board was. and would continue to be, to refuse to give the works io Swifts. It was unfortunate that, past boards had allowed the position to drift. Wonderful central works in good districts had been allowed to go to overseas interests.

There were three courses; first, rationalisation of the meat industry; second, the old way of raising share capital, in which they had lost both their money and the works; third, the only logical plan, devised by Mr. TV. W. Mulholland and himself the co-operative principle, which had been proved in the dairy industry, and where truly tried had rarely failed. DEPUTATION TO MINISTER. WELLINGTON, July 20. It was announced early this morning that Mi'. Nash has agreed to. meet the Farmers’ Union delegates at .1.20 p.m. In consequence of last night’s decision to wait on the Ministers, this morning, 50 delegates and members of the Women’s Division, who were not notified in time of the afternoon appointment, gathered in Parliament grounds, until told of the new arrangements. WOMEN’S DIVISION. WELLINGTON, July 20. The Women’s Division of the Farmers’ Union, which is expected to conclude the conference to-day, decided to accept the Government invitation to become an approved society and as such accept the Government grant for extension of its household help service. The Division intends to acquire a rest home in the Auckland province, making the fourth such institution in the Dominion. Officers elected were: President, Mrs. W. Elliot, vice-presidents. North Island, J. .Toll, G. Lamplough, W. Lane. South Island: Mesdames I. Coop, J. R. Haldane and N. Mclntosh.