FARMERS’ UNION

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 227, 24 August 1938, Page 4

FARMERS’ UNION

PROVINCIAL EXECUTIVE. AVELLINGTON CENTRAL BODY. The A\ r ellington Central Provincial Executive of the Farmers’ Union met at Hunterville yesterday, Mr L. Ham- 1 mond presiding. Also present -were : Messrs J. A. Harris, F. V. Toulnnn, L. Lambert, J. Tod, F. Buteman, D. Cameron, R. J. Gibbs, A. Fannin D. ; G. Gordon, G. AVatt, A. Campbell, and J. D. Kilgour. Reporting on matters dealt with by the Dominion executive, the president said that the Railway Department had admitted a shortage of railway trucks, and that now every effort was being made to meet the position. The latest | information on the transport question | was that the 30-mile restriction on motor transport had been removed as a result of the representations of the union. This had been done to meet the cases where the railway could not provide immediate transport and farmers were obliged to engage motor transport. The position in regard to holding paddocks for stock in the Rangitikei county was again mentioned by Mr Toulmin, who suggested that the executive might be able to assist by making a grant towards the cost of fencing. . Mr Hammond stated that the County Council was taking action, hut could not do the job in one year. The idea was to deal with the most urgent cases at once and gradually develop a general plan for permanent holding paddocks at suitable points.—lt was agreed to keep the position before the County Council. FACIAL ECZEMA. A letter was received from headquarters seeking data with regard to the losses from facial eczema, and it was agreed to endeavour to ascertain the losses from this scourge within the provincial area. The matter of relief for farmers who had suffered had been attended to in the direction of representations to the Commissioner of Taxes, who had agreed to ’ accept amended income tax returns covering a period of 15 months in order that the losses could be included in the- return and an allowance made. Members decided by resolution to offer congratulations to the Dominion president on his address at the annual conference and to express appreciation of his work on behalf of the primary producers. EMPIRE TRADE. Reporting on the conference, Mr Gordon said that he had found it very interesting. One or two matters Had appealed to him and one was the discussion on Empire trade. He felt that producers were not looking far enough ahead. If the Empire was to hold the huge , area of fertile land it possessed it must, in his opinion, find some method of increasing trade with the thickly populated countries. It was all very well to advocate Empire trade, but there was a real need to develop international trade. The other question was.that of an effective land policy which the union should tackle. It was important to the welfare of the country that there should be more people on the land, and if steps were not taken it would be found that primary producing interests would become a diminishing quantity in the life of the Dominion. On the question oF the compensating price campaign, he was glad to see that steps were being taken to have an outside source investigate the disability under which primary producers were working. It was agreed to support the . AVomen’s Division remit on the sub-

ject of the increasing manufacture of margarine in New Zealand and also the allegation that margarine was being blended with butter. It was also agreed to press for Government action in regard to the synthetic wool and materials. It was stated that it was very difficult to distinguish material made from synthetic wool from that made from pure wool. One member stated that Australia was importing from Japan a 50-inch wide serge material made from synthetic wool which was retailed at 2s 6d a yard, and that it required an expert to tell the difference between that material and genuine serge. The meeting agreed to take the matters up with headquarters with a request that suitable representations be made to the Government.

Mr A. C. Birch, of Marton, was appointed to represent the executive on the Wanganui District Young Farmers’ Club.'