MENACE TO AGRICULTURE

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 7 June 1935, Page 8

MENACE TO AGRICULTURE

Fears That Country Newspapers May Go Out of Existence UNITED PRESS WANTED UNIONISM OF FARMERS (By Telegrnpn—Press Association.) DANNEVIRKE, To-day. The annual meeting of the Southern Hawke’s Bay Farmers’ Union passed by 15 votes to 12 a resolution in favour of lifting the restrictions upon the importation of live stock from Britain, subject to strict quarantine conditions being imposed. The following remit was also carried : “That the Dominion executive be asked to watch carefully amalgamations taking place in the newspaper world, as being a suggested menace to agriculture and that the executive bo asked to examine the possibilities* of compulsory unionism of farmers aiming at: (1) A Press united by commercial and mercantile influences, and (2) a stringent budgetary system, educating farmers to the urgent necessity of putting farming on a basis of business integrity.” The. mover, Mr S. Stratford, referred to what was happening in Christchurch regarding tho newspaper merger and said that if all the smaller journals were going to go out of action and all be under one head, there was a direct menace to, agriculture in this country.

The meeting favoured the establishment of a State lottery, from which 20 per cent, pf the gross proceeds coidd be set aside to form a fund towards the relief of acts of God, such as the Napier earthquake. The meeting also iavoureff State lotteries for the benefit of hospitals.