FARMERS’ REMITS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 195, 19 July 1937, Page 4

FARMERS’ REMITS

CONFERENCE DECISION. WELLINGTON, July 10. The thirty-sixth Annual Dominion conference of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, which opened at Wellington on Wednesday, ended to-day. It was decided to draw the attention of the Government to the necessity of protecting arable lands from erosion by river and sea. The conference expressed tho view that the problem of river erosion was a national matter, and that the appointment of a competent river engineer to carry out scientific investigation and research regarding the problem as it applied to the rivers of the West G'oa.st was a matter for immediate Government consideration.

fn regard to taxation, the conference decided that women should he exempt from the unemployment tax until they became eligible to benefit from the fund; that the land tax should be levied only on the equity in farmers’ holdings; and that the Dominion executive should try to obtain a more liberal allowance for the cost of rations IxMight for employees, (ft was pointed out that an employee was taxed .at the rate of 15s a week for his keep, but the farmer was allowed only 10s a week). The following remit was submitted by Auckland : —“That the union closely scruntinise the use of the powers taken in the Reserve Bank Amendment Act, and exert its influence to ensure that credit and currency shall be put into circulation to the end that our money shall keep pace with our production and so that producers shall not be penalised by rising costs.” Mr A. C. A. Sexton (Auckland) said that tho object in view was the prevention of both inflation and deflation. Tho remit was referred hack to the Auckland executive, on the motion of Mr W. A. Sheat (South Taranaki), who contended that it was too vague. The Dominion executive was asked to oppose the purpose of the Government to establish a monopoly of the manufacture of motor tyres in the Dominion and its intention to impose an embargo on this commodity. A suggestion that, in the case of farmers. annual statements of income for taxation purposes should be bused on the average income over three years was made by Mr R. O. Montgomerie (Wanganui). The conference approved the suggestion. Mr W. W. Mulholland, president, agreed that the method suggested by Mr Montgomerie was the only just one of assessing a farmer’s income. “Many fanners this year, for instance, will be paying income tax on LIOOO at a penal rate, when they have not hail tin income at all tor live rears,” he said.