CATCHMENT FUNDS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21511, 16 September 1944, Page 4

CATCHMENT FUNDS

RATE ON THE LAND FARMERS’ OBJECTIONS ECHOES OF CONFERENCE Members of the Poverty Bay provincial executive of the Farmers Union yesterday discussed briefly the conference held on Thursday in Gisborne on the subject of soil conservation and river control, and an explanation of the circumstances ir which the president, Mr C. Cooper, attended the conference was made. ‘When the conference was first suggested, said Mr Cooper, he had inquired as to whether the Farmers Union would be officially represented there. He had been referred to M. E. H. Baker, chairman of the Cook County Council, convener of the conference, who stated that the K.; mers’ Union could send a representative but that he had no power to grant such representative any rigm to take part in the discussions. During the opening stages ot the conference. Mr W. L. Newnham chairman of the national council on soil conservation and - rivers control, had suggested that representatives c organisations other than county anc. borough authorities should be allowed to ask questions, and this course had been agreed to. The provincial executi\e expressed its regret that the exclusion of farming organisations from the discussions at the conference should have been adopted, as they were keenlyinterested in tile proposed board, and their members were likely to be taxed to maintain it. The matte: was dropped with the chairman: comment that stress had been laid o tlie necessity for co-operation o a. interested parties, but that princinh had not yet been put into practice. In connection with the catehnuv. board proposal, the chairman d> attention to a decision of file Farmers' Union conference, in May last, on inis suojcct. the text e_ motion being: “That while bein & aware of the gravity of the. problems of erosion, we are opposed to financing of the catchment boards by a rate on the land-holders. As ilm work of the catchment boards is to preserve the land for posterity we consider that the costs; should fa" equally on all sections of the community.”