FARMERS’ UNION

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 179, 30 June 1936, Page 12

FARMERS’ UNION

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE. IMPORTANT REMITS. The annual conference of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union will commence in Wellington on July 8. The proceedings Will be opened by the GovernorGeneral, Lord Galway, and the president, Mr W. J. Poison, M.P., will preside. Remits to come forward for discussion deal with a wide range of of subjects concerning the welfare of primary producers, including marketing, farm labour and wages, rural finance, tariffs and taxation, wool research and noxious weeds. There are remits from the Otago, South Taranaki, Auckland and North Taranaki branches of the union opposing guaranteed prices for primary products, and advocating the taking of a referendum of the producers affected before the Government takes control of any primary industry. The Auckland and North Taranaki branches will submit remits urging that in the event of products being taken over by the Government the Government should guarantee payment to farmers of a .compensated price to restore their equities and generally enable them to bring their prices into fair relationship with internal costs. The view is expressed in a remit from the West Coast branch that the guaranteed price plan should be framed in such a way that factories which have considerable expense in sending tlieir butter to grading stores wilL not he penalised. FARM LABOUR. The question of farm labour will be introduced by remits from North Taranaki and the West Coast. These branches intend to ask the conference to urge the Government to investigate the position regarding the supply of agricultural labour available in New Zealand, and in the event of sufficient labour to meet the needs of the country not being available that an immigration policy be adopted for supplementing the supply of labour. An objection to farm labour being brought under the jurisdiction of the Arbitration Court is expressed in remits from Southland and Hawke’s Bay. The Southland branch intends to advocate the election of ward members for the Dairy Board on the democratic principle of one man, one vote. The following remit from the Auckland branch and the combined conference of Wellington branches will be moved in connection with the Dominion’s fiscal policy:—“That this Dominion should take the initiative m making an offer to Britain of the removal, as far as possible, of tariffs, quotas, levies and other hindrances to trade, believing that the Empire should be unified in trade as in defence ; this conference maintains that by giving more favourbalo treatment to British imports the danger of a quota can be averted, and requests the Government to adjust import duties accordingly; this conference affirms that the union will do its utmost to resist any suggestion to increase tariffs further, and any fresh restrictions on imports, believing such moves to be detrimental to export industry directly and to the Dominion generally.” “That the inconvenient and expensive method of registering motor-cars annually bo abolished, and that tho original registration and plates do for tho life of the car,” is a remit that will he moved on behalf of the Southland branch. LEVY ON WOOL.

It is the intention of tho Hawke’s Bay branch to advocate a levy of sixpence a bale on wool lor the assistance of research work and advertising of wool in New Zealand and abroad, the funds to be administrat'd by a committee of tho industry. The removal of tho embargo against the importation of live stock lrom any country known to bo infected with foot-and-mouth disease will bo moved bv the representatives of tho Auckland branch. The same branch will also urge a campaign for the eradication of tuberculosis from dairy herds. The North Canterbury branch intends to recommend that the State Advances Corporation Act be amended to allow of the crediting of mortgagors of the corporation with their contributions to the reserve fund and that they bo accorded the right of appointing some of the directorate. A comprehensive remit dealing with the education of country children will be moved on behalf of the Auckland branch. Tlie remit reads as follows: “In order to remove one of the chief disabilities of farm life, country children should be given educational facilities more nearly equal to those they would have if they lived in town. Therefore the Minister of Education should be urged to institute a policy for the complete consolidation of country schools, the policy to include adequate and satisfactory transport, a maximum travelling distance from the school of 12 to 15 miles, a maximum of 400 children in the primary department of each school, a district high school as part of each consolidated school, a suitable playground of about six acres. We ask that a full survey of country education, with the above policy in view, be made as soon as possible.” DAIRY FACTORIES. The Auckland branch will also move: “That this conference urges that proprietary dairy factories competing with co-operative concerns be bought by the Government and disposed of in accordance with the wishes of the co-operative dairy companies, the expense entailed by such purchase to be borne by the co-operative dairy companies affected by a levy upon their output or such other means as they may prefer. We further urge that action be taken to eliminate overlapping between co-operative dairy companies and that no further licenses be granted unless it can be shown that the existing factories and organisations cannot cope with the supply offering.” Preferential voting tor all public positions is favoured in an Auckland remit, while one from the West Coast advocates proportional representation instead of the present system of voting for Parliamentary elections. The view that drinking at public dances is fast becoming a serious social evil is taken in an Auckland remit, and it is suggested that the Government should adopt measures that would prevent intoxicoting drink being used at 6uch dances. A remit from the combined conference appeals to the Government to press for greater protection to British shipping.