FARMERS' UNION.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 10 September 1929, Page 6

FARMERS' UNION.

MANAWATU PROVINCIAL EXECUTIVE.

VARIOUS REPRESENTATIONS TO THE GOVERNMENT.

The monthly meeiiiig of the Manawatu provincial executive of the Farmers' Union was held on Saturday, in the Band Room, Levin, there being present: Messrs O. P. Lynch (president), B. G.'Gower, J. Balsillie, J. A. McLeavey, P. Maul, R. Craig, C. P. Jensen, 11. Bowling, 11. J. McLeavey, J. T. Kent, 11. Bond, 11. Denton, and. E. N. Budden (secretary). Reporting on the movement to have three instead of two representatives on the Defence Committee set up by the Sheep-owners' Federation for the Wellington province, the chairman stated that he had seen the president of the Federation, Mr 11. D. Acland, who was aware that the Farmers' Union had three executive bodies in the province —Manawatu, AVanganui, and Wellington Central —and who was quite prepared for them to have the representation desired. The chairman added that he was gathering the necessary information to finalise the matter The executive went into committee to discuss the question of expenses of the delegates attending its meetings. A proposal that 10s per attendance be paid to each member in respect of last year's meetings was defeated, and the executive resumed in open meeting to consider its future policy in this connection, with the result that it unanimously passed a resolution, moved by Mr Bond and seconded by Mr Bowling, that for the current year members l-o allowed 10s each per attendance, with an additional grant of £1 Is for the year for every delegate from south of Te Iloro; such moneys to be paid at the end of the financial year, funds permitting. THEFTS OF .STOCK.

In accordance with notice, Mr Kent moved that the Government be requested to bring in legislation as follows: That, owing to the amount of sheep and cattle stealing going on, the auctioneers be compelled to name the vendor, and the vendor be compelled to state from whom !he purchased the sheep or cattle. Mr Maul seconded the motion.

The Chairman stated that the question had been bef'oie the Dov.inion executive, which set up a special committee to confer with the Sheep-own-ers' Federation and the police, and the matter was then left in the hands of the Commissioner of Police to follow up. Livestock thefts were very rife in the South Island and in the Gisborno district. lie thought that the best way to prevent them was for fanners to keep their eyes wide open.

Mr .i. A. McLeavey considered that the Dominion executive was in •] better position to deal with the problem than this executive was, and therefore it should be asked to take it in hand. The Chairman asked if there- were any instances of live stock thefls in this district. Mr Denton: Yes. Mr Kent: mentioned a case in which 100 sheep, which were put in a paddock at, night, had disappeared next morning. He did not sec why this branch should not move in the matter; a resolution emanating from it should be entitled to the same consideration as one from Auckland.

Mr Bond endorsed this opinion, lie pointed out that losses of stock by theft might bring some fanners to the Bankruptcy Court. Mr Maul said he was quite in sympathy with, Mr Kent. This was not a new remit. It had previously been urged' that the auctioneer should name tho vendor of cattle and sheep that were offered for sale. - lie thought it was quite a good, reasonable suggestion. Mr J. A. McLeavey: They won't do it. Mr Maul: I think it only wants the owners to bring pressure to bear and they will have to do it. Mr Kent: There should be legislation brought down to compel them to do it. The motion was carried, Mr Craig voting against it. He said he considered that the matter was one that should be left to the vendors.

The Chairman expressed the opinion that the action urged in the resolution would not only be of benefit in checking raids on stock, but would probably prevent a good many tuberculous pig* from being brought forward.

The resolution is, to be forwarded to the Dominion executive for its meeting on October 23rd. COWS THAT MISS.

Mr Bowling moved, in terms of notice, that the Live Stoek'Division of the Department of Agriculture be urged to further investigate the question of sterility in cows. He remarked that thi3 was a matter of urgency, because in another six weeks it would be time for cow 8 to be served ajgain. He referred to cases within his knowledge where large percentages of cows were not coming into profit. Another point was It hat of cows not calving up to time. In the Kuku Dairy Company's district there were about 1500 cows, and if 20 per cent, of them did not get in calf until after Christmas, it would mean a loss of nearly £2OOO. The Chairman stated that if Mr Bowling would let him have the figures relating to the subject, he would place them before the Dominion executive. Mr Bond' seconded the motion. He said he had suffered a lot of expense through failure of cows. At the Dairy Cqnferendo at Whangarci, head of the Department had promised to send to each factory a circular advising farmers what to do, but the Rangiotu factory had not yot received it. One of his cows had been barren for three years, though ho had given her all the: diets he could think of; she had been milking for over two years, and was fat now. A returned soldier in his district had eight cows empty out of thirty/and his farming operations had been put back ten years. Dairying was now the most important industry of the Dominion, and too much could not be done for it. The Government should send an expert to live with the farmers and study the matter on the spot. It was generally the best cow that wont to the wall. Mr Kent, said he had had several

cows with the same defect. An officer of the Agricultural Department came and examined some of them and recognised the loss that they were causing; the officer recommended giving an affected cow 4oz. of bone-meal with some bran. The Department's laboratory staff -were doing the best they could to solve the problem. The trouble was prevalent in America, Denmark and manv other countries.

As an instance of what losses a breeder might suffer, Mr Bond mentioned that a cow which was empty today was one for whose dam he had paid 33£ guineas. He thought that the Department Avas not doing all that it could; there was too much government from the town and not enough touch with the farms. The Chairman said that this matter was gone into pretty fully at the last conference of the Union. Dr. Reakes, Director-General of Agriculture, then stated that the Department was doing everything that it, could, and that the whole cause of the trouble was dietetic; there was some deficiency in the. diet. The Director-General said that the Department had made many inquiries, and that where the cattle were living under wild conditions there was none of this trouble, thus showing that the heavy draught on the cow for milk was depriving her nature of some of the elements that should be there. The Department was working in conjunction with some of the farmers, in giving cows a special ration, also in the direction of top-dressing certain pastures with mineral constituents of different kinds. In these experiments a herd under control would be compared witli a herd under ordinary conditions. The speaker was satisfied that Dr. Reakes was right in saying that the sterile condition was due to an extra strain on the system, and another cause was want of exercise. If the cows could be driven- two or three miles every day, their muscular systems would be built up. Under existing conditions, in many cases, tissue was being built up at the expense of the muscular system. He had proved this theory in the case of sheep, having had stud ewes which experienced difficulty in parturition. Last year he put them on a road running uphill at the back of his property, walking them up the hill and down again every day. Those ewes lambed almost wjthout any mishap last year, a fact which showed that what they had largely wanted was exercise. Mis" cows were ordinary "run" cattle. and ho had no trouble whatever with liiein. Dr. lienkos had agreed that they were bred and reared under natural contions, whereas cows on dairy farms were (getting more and more artificial conditions. The DirectorGeneral also stated that the Department was working in conjunction with the whole civilised world.

Mr J. A. McLeavey: There is the same trouble all round the world. The Chairman: Fven in the Argentine.

Mr Jensen: flow is it that people who had cattle stalled for generations had no moie trouble than we have here?

The Chairman: L piesume that after two or three generations the\ became accustomed to it.

.Mi' Maul: in Denmark the greater proportion of the cattle are tethered.

Mr Kent: They have the same trou bio there.

Mr Bowling, referring to the condition of cows, stated that one herd not far from his property was putting up a big record; the cows came in early and were all iu good condition. In the case of another luual, which was not producing so well, much difficulty was experienced in getting the cows in calf. lie thought that the disability was contagious. Mr Maul thought it was probable that the Department was not yet properly acquainted with the subject.

The Chairman remarked that dairy fanners should regard it as an obligation, when such things went wrong with their cows, tc forward particulars to the Department, which, on receiving advices from all parts of the country, would look further into the matter.

Mr 11. Denton quoted from a speech in Parliament by the Hon. G. W. Forbes, Minister of Agriculture, in which he stated that five veterinary officers at Wallaeevillc and three in the field were investigating the subject. It seemed, therefore, he said, that the Department was alive to the trouble and was doing its best. Mr Craig said he was a strong believer in the chairman's ideas on this matter. Last year the speaker bought l.'H) empty cows, put them out on rough country, Avith little feed, and gave them exercise, and 75 per cent, of them became in calf. He thought that Mr Bond must have given his cows too much feed. A number of cows would not become pregnant when they were in milk. Some cows also were naturally uncertain breeders. Mr Kent stated that three of his poorest cows would not get in calf. The motion was carried. EXPORT PORK AND BACON.

A circular was received from the Meat Producers' Board, drawing attention to complaints having been received regarding the condition of pork and bacon shipped to the United Kingdom. Dr. Callow, of Cambriuge, had reported that the fat smelt tallowy, and that the bacon, when cooked, had a fishy flavour. The Board's representatives in Britain reported that they were doing what they could to ascertain the cause and elirninato the trouble. The quality of the pork had been generally very favourably commented upon by the trado in the United Kingdom; and &b the Dominion's export trade in pork was now being further developed, there was imperative need for every effort to be made to eliminate complaints. Mr Bowling stated that the feeding of pigs on whey, and riot giving them enough corn, would cause yellow fat. Mr'Bond: They say maize will cause it too.

The communication was formally received ...

COMMISSION- ON NEW MEMBEBS

. The Dominion Secretary forwarded a circular "stating thatj 'at the last-an-nual .conference, it was" decided to pay to branches 5s "-pofiiew member obtained per medium of orders; the proportion's .of this sum which are to-be provided by the liead office and the ■provincial,''executives.' are to be decid-

ed at the next meeting of the Dominion Executive.

The Chairman said he thought that, at the Dominion executive meeting, he would take the stand that the charge should be on headquarters, but not on the provincial executives.

TAXATION QUESTIONS. Some discussion took place on the Taxation Conference which sat recently in Wellington. Mr Bond remarked that the finance of the country was getting into a parlous state when the Government had to tax a man on his mortgages.

Mr Kent: I think they will withdrawthat.

Mr Bond referred to the issue of War,.Bonds at 5 per cent, free of income tax, by the National Government, and asked what the country was paying for that action now. Men, he said, had sold their farms and put the proceeds into War Bonds, on which they paid no tax. The Chairman: It became compulsory and they had to do it. I got notice that I 'had to do it, and 1 know that others did. In regard to the item of farmers having their money invested, as mentioned by the Premier, they are not farmers, a lot of them, but simply landowners, who never milked a cow or shore a sheep in their lives, but call themselves farmers for the occasion. A lot of them have money invested in securities.

Mr Bond: They were pioneers of this Dominion.

The Chairman: Their grandfathers were.

Mr Jensen stated that he was one of those who had attended the conference. In some ways lie felt pleased and in other ways sorry at the remarks that ,had been made there. He had been impressed by th.e hardships that would be imposed on some people if this taxation was passed. It was generally agreed upon that classification of the land would be absolutely necessary before the system would be a just one. The Chairman: Absolutely.

Air Jensen: They are putting up this heavy taxation regardless of whether the fanners are ready for these heavy penalties or not, and therefore it must create an enormous amount of hardship. Mr Kent: Among the squatters.

Mr Jensen: You must know that then- Is a lot of land that is held in big areas on high country which is never suitable for small farmers and which it is very hard indeed to sell. Why penalise these people and allow that land to deteriorate and breed nothing but rubbish and pests? There are also a number of people in the South J.sbuid holding large areas, but a lot of it is high country, subject to snow, though, some people are able to bring their sheep down in winter. U there any reason why the Government should fry to destroy the production of the country because they want a few extra pounds' I think their policy is not sound, and I cannot but believe that the Prime Minister and the Government must, be fully aware that their proposals are not sound. Why try to split up big estates and put on graduated taxes when they know that they could split up these estates by limiting the areas that could be transferred. All they have to do is To pass an Act and apply That to private lands, but the land must be classified first, and the valuations must he just and fair, and not as we stand at present. These two points were fully agreed on at that meeting as being of importance ■before taxation could be called just. The Chairman said that what Mr Jensen had stated was quite correct. One gentleman to whom the chairman was speaking when attending the conference referred to a property in the South island, and said that this property, on which the valuation was £40,000," was not his own, as there wove four in it. They could not divide it, because much of it was of a mountainous character. There was some excellent land below, but they could not dispose of it, because they required it as a reserve for the high country. This season 200 acres of this low land was ploughed and sown in turnips, and 2000 breeding ewes were brought down to it; three days later there was nine inches of snow on the high country. Both the. ewes and their lambs would have been lost had not the low country been available. This was one of the eases that would tome in under the hardship clause. Another resolution passed was that the individualising of family interests in such places should be carried out where the father had left it to the children to carry on; that each'child's assessment should be ascertained instead of the whole being taxed on a graduated scale. In the case he had cited he was informed that to-day it was absolutely essential to work the property as one farm. A curious thing about the conference was that there wa s aii almost, total absence of Farmers' Union men. The place was almost dominated by tho "big fellows"; they came in like roaring lions, and by the time the meeting was done, they went out like lambs. Professor Murphy recommended the most equitable way of assessing taxation as on income, but this was shelved.

UNSUCCESSFUL TOLL CALLS. Mr Bond brought forward a complaint against the present system of telephone "bureau charges, the point of which was the charging of a fee when a bureau call did not bring a response from the number rung up. He stated that the other day, ho rang a man fourtimes without getting a reply, although there were people in the house all the time, and he was charged for the calls. Mr Bond produced an envelope bearing the advertisement, "Even if you do miss the mail, there „i s still the telephone"; and he averred that he could have gone six times to the man's place in the period over which the calls were made. The Department stated that the telephone was not in order.

Several members asked Mr Bond why tho man at the other end of the line had not answered the telephone. Mr Bond: Because the 'phone ring never came through. This should go to headquarters; let them make an inquiry and shake things up. I am sending telegrams now—that is how I am getting over it; but it is costing me 9d instead of 4d. I move that they be called on to make a refund in such cases. . Mr.,J. A. McLeavev advised Mr

Bond to get in touch .with the Tele-, graph Engineer. Mr Bowling seconded the motion. The Chairman (to Mr Bond): If the secretary sends that resolution along, will you put it through your local office? Mr Bond: Yes. It was decided to BCn a protest through the provincial office 'of the Union.