FARMERS' UNION.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXXII, Issue 2768, 28 August 1931, Page 5

FARMERS' UNION.

KEREPEEHI BRANCH. ' ' MONTHLY MEETING. Mr W. Mclnnis, president of the Kerepeehi branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, presided over the regular meeting of the branch on Wednesday evening last. Quarterly Conference. ' ' Notice was received from the subprovincial secretary of the Quarterly Conference to be held at the Brian Boru Hotel on Monday next, August •list. Messrs W. Mclnnis and L. J. Jamieson were appointed delegates. from the branch. De-Rating. A petition, drawn up by the Provincial Office, and which is to be placed before Parliament* at an early opportunity, was sent to the branch with a request that as many signatures as possible should be obtained of settlers in the district who favoured the de-rating of farm landb. Mr Mclnnis said that some farmers in signing the petition were under the impression that, did de-rating became general, they would be getting something for nothing. In that case, continued Mr Mclnnis, he would consider it unfair for a farmer io s : gn the petition. But he would like all members ' of the branch to get out of their heads the idea that de-rating would relieve them of the total burden. .They would have to pay in proportion as tr<y used the roads themselves, or in proportion as they caused them to be used for transport purposes. Even -though transport charges would increase if de-rating became general, the burden of road maintenance and construction would be more fairly distributed. He urged every member to sign the petition. — Arrangements were made among . those present at tlie meeting to take the petition around for signatures. River Improvement. . i Mr Mclnnes stated that one member had asked him to discuss at the meeting the matter of the WaihouOhinemuri River Improvement Scheme and the methods by which it was proposed to operate the scheme. None of the members present, however, could give any information to the meeting on the subject, so an appeal was made to the Press representative present to explain the main butlines and objects of the proposed scheme. When the desired information had been given the secretary was instructed to watch for further developments in the direction discussed, and to report to the next meeting of the The President said that as members of the Union, not to mention others of the farming community, were likely to be affected if the proposed s'cheme came into operation, it was the duty of the Union to watch de- . velopments very closely. Generosity Recognised. The Social Workers’' Association, Auckland, wrote thanking the bi anch for assistance given in- an hour of need by their free gifts of farm produce. In return, the Association was endeavouring to assist the needy farmer by procuring from business houses gifts of cement, wire, staples, harness, tools, rope, etc., these to be put into a separate pool and distributed on the recommendation of the various branches of the Union.