FEDERATION.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 26 July 1924, Page 7

FEDERATION.

DOMINION FARMERS. PROPOSAL FOR ONE BIG UNION. CONFERENCE TO BE CALLED.' A suggestion that a federation should be formed to represent the whole ol Ne\y Zealand farming interests was made by £ne New Zealand Dairy Farmers' Union to the conference ol the New Zealand Farmers’ Union on Thursday. „Mr D. J. Poison, president of the farmers’ Union, said that the proposal was no new one. It had come before the conference four years ago, when, it had been sympathetically received. He did not care m what form such a federation came about so long as it did come about. Surely theie was some machinery by .which all the prcducetrs of the country cculd be brought together.

Mr P ; J. Small, president of the Dairy banners’ Union, said that his anion was straight out for amalgamation. .Most unions, he said, had organisers going about the country causing friction, between tire various producing interests. If amalgamation did not come would come within a year or wo. When it did come the complete’ organisation of the producers of the country would he an easy matter. Mr V . B. Matlieson (Eketahuna) did not favour setting up further machinery. The Farmers’ Union, he said, had always numbered a good many dairymen jn its yanks. Air G. L Marshall (Afarton) suggested that the Farmers’ Union should set up committees in each district embracing'all classes of producers. The matter had been discussed by the Council of Agriculture, and they had got on very well until it came to the question of representation. There were too- many farmers’ organisations now. At the request of Air C. E. Murne.v (Otago) all delegates who were dairy farmers were asked to hold their hands up, and 21 hands were raised.

Mr B. Roberts, president of the Wairarapa provincial branch of the Dairy Farmers’ Union, said that they were net there to make overtures to the Farmers’ Union. The Dairy Farmers’ Union had profited hy the experiences ami the mistakes of the Farmers’ Union. Air J. B. Dick (Marlborough) said that the dairymen of New Zealand had last year exported £17,000,000 worth of produce, and were not one penny the better off for it. Another speaker said the struggle for existence to-dav was much harder tha. never it had been. Air Matlieson : Do you mean to say we are working harden- to-day than we did in the past? Air Fox: Much harder. Air Alatheson : You don’t know what you are talking about. Air Fox: We are worrying much more, anyhow. Continuing, All* Fox said that what was wanted was organiastion along the lines of industry. When this had been done amalgamation would follow as a natural, course. Air Poison said it was a sound principle to stand shoulder to shoulder, and he for one would join heartily with the Dairy Farmers’. Union. • Mr Atkins moved :‘*That this conference approves of the principle of organisation, and invites the producers’ organisations to send delegates to meet the executive of the Farmers’ Union at a round-table conference.” Air O. P. Lynch seconded the motion. All* C. C. Alunro (Auckland) advised them to be careful to see that in trying to organise further they did not disorganise. The dairy fan Vi's had broken away from the Farmers’Union, and now they came back with this loose proposal for amalgamation. Air J. D. Hall (Hororata) said that they could never hope to succeed in big matters like taxation, transport, and education until all sections of the primary producers were united. Air Small said that if they could get the loyal support of all the primary producers for the Farmers’ Union that would be all that would be wanted, hut unfortunately they could not. He appealed to the members of the Farmers’ Union to give the proposal for amalgamation consideration, and do their best to bring it about. The motion was carried unanimously.