THE FARMING INTERESTS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 574, 7 June 1913, Page 5

THE FARMING INTERESTS.

DEPUTATION TO PREMIER. Several matters of interest to the farming community were brought before the Prime Minister on Wednesday afternoon at Auckland by a deputation from the Farmers' Union, headed by the president, Major Lusk, and introduced by Mr F. W. Lang, M.PA number of the questions raised dealt with tariff subjects. Mr T. McCutcheon urged upon the Premier the importance to farmers of being able to get in fencing materials free of duty, especially iron standards for fencing. Fencing materia! was a big matter for farmers to face, and, while the Government were always exhorting them to subdivide their * lands, and so increase the exports and I wealth of the country, they put a duty on 20 ppr cent, on such a necessary commodity as iron fencing standards, and they allowed motor cars in free. In some other countries every facility was given, to the farmers to subdivide, but here subdivision was practically barred, owing to the prohibitive duties on fencing Captain Colbeck again drew attention to the anomalies of the Prevention of Monopolies Act, which put heavy duties on many pieces of agricultural machinery which were an absolute necessity to the farmer. Another inequality pointed out was that, while motor cars and traction engines, which destroyed roads, came in free, steam rollers, which helped to make them, had to pay a duty of 20 per cent., while among a namber of other matters brought before the Minister were the differential rates on the railways of certain poducts where local manufacturers competed with imported articles, and the tariff on boots and shoes, which it was desired should not be increased, as was proposed. PREMIER'S REPLY.

The Prime Minister, in reply, expressed the opinion that iron fencing standards should certainly be included in the free list, and he gave hopes of having this brought about in the coming session. During next session, said Mr Massey, the Government contemplated doing away with a number of anomalies in the existing tariff an some of the matters referred to by the deputation would then be dealt with by Parliament. As to the duty on steam rollers, he had already expressed the opnion that if traction engines came in free so 3hould steam rollers. Speaking of the tariff generally, the present Parliament, said Mr Massey, had not yet had an opportunely of dealing with it, but in the legislation to be introduced he thought that while Parliament would not be inclined to do any injustice to local industries, neither would it be inclined to increase existing facilities which thoße local industries were accorded in competition against the imported article. With regard to the question of differential railway rates, this matter would be one of the first which the new General Manager of Railways would be asked to investigate upon his arrival in about three months' time. In answer to a request that the Farmers' Union should be represented on the proposed Board of Agriculture, the Premier said that one of the first qualifications for a seat would be that the apnointee was an agriculturist. In all probability the Board would consist of 10 or 12 members, a proportion of whom would be nominated by Government and a proportion by the agricultural associations. At the present time he had in mind one or two who were prominent members of the Farmers' Union.