TRIBUTE TO FARMER

Manawatu Times, Volume LIII, Issue 6537, 20 February 1928, Page 10

TRIBUTE TO FARMER

op the UNION. i MR GLASS HONOURED. Recognition by the New Zealand Farmers’ Union of the services of its veteran founder, Mr A. G. C. Glass, found expression at a meeting of the Auckland provincial executive last week, when Mr Glass was presented with a handsome gold watch on behalf of the branches of tho organisation throughout New Zealand. Mr Glass was also presented with a copy of the minutes of the first meeting of the Union, held at Kaitaia in 1899. Mr R. D.. Duxfield, Dominion vicepresident of the Union, in making the presentation at the invitation of the chairman, Mr A. A. Ross, said it must be a source of great satisfaction to Mr Glass to Bee the dlmci, that the Union nad obtained at tin present day and the weight that its representations carried. “There is no organisation in New Zealand to-day," he said, “that receives greater attention from Ministers of the Crown than does the Farmers’ Union. For this we have largely to thank 'Mr Glass.'' Members of the executive expressed their appreciation of the tireless work of Mr Glass in organising farmers from one end of tho Dominion to tho other. Mr Glass, in returning thanks, also expressed his appreciation of the gift, of which ho was recipient at Christmas.

Mr Glass was born in Somerset in 1860 ,and came to New Zealand at the age of .13 in the sailing ship Helen Denny, Ho settled In Pu'rlri and later in Wairoa, Hawkes Bay, eventually moving up to Broadwood, near Kaitaia, North Auckland, where he was a pioneer in breaking in new country. Impressed with the need for farmers throughout tho country to organise if their interests wore to receive full consideration by the Government, ho undertook the organisation of a farmers' union. It was at Kaitaia in February, 1899,'that' the first meeting of the union was held under the chairmanship of Mr T. W. P. Smith. Subseucntly Mr Glass travelled, through both islands, callings meetings of farmers, which resulted in the formation of branches of tho union throughout the Dominion . Mr Glass later took up farm property near Mercer where he lived for about nine years. For tho last three years ho has been living in retirement with one of his six sons at Whangamarjno, in the Waikato.