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DAIRY FARMERS MEET IN ANNUAL CONFERENCE

President Reviews Year of Progress

Financial Position Improved

Mr N. Campbell, president, presided at the annual conference of the Dairy Farmers’ Union jn Palmerston North yesterday, -when there was a fairly largo attendance of inembers of the Union. ; r Annual Review. “I am pleased to state that the financial position of the Union still continues to 4 improve, ’’ .stated the chairman in his review of the year’s work. “From, the balance sheet it will be observed ; that the balance of assets over liabilities is £260,11s lid, being an increase oh ; yast year’s figures of £lO6 Is 4d. It ; is a matter of regret that there are still a number of resignations being received and the, matter-. . of federating with the Farmers’ Union will have to' 1 be again considered. lam still of the opinion that-if one Union of all farra-ers-could be formed, with each class of .farmer belonging to a separate branch of .the Union, much good could be achieved. V. The past season ha« been a satisfactory'one for the dairy farmer,, and it looks £S. though n total : payment for butter-fat- per lb. this season will be much larger -than last year. It is a matter ,of congratulation that herd, testing has become an established fact, and I am glad to note that some dairy, companies are still assisting with the payments toward the cost of testing.. The pig industry is another branch of farming that looks considerably brighter this- year than last year. No doubt this has been helped to a certain extent by the. Government subsidy. • Diseases in dairy cows was a matter that has had the serious, consideration of the executive and I am pleased to advise that matters have now been finalised for the carrying out of tests of -the .vaccine treatment .for contagious mammitis. j I am pleased to advise that the “bobby calf" business looks like, becoming an cstabished fact in this district. The business has been taken lip by the National Dairy Asso- | ciation and meetings have been called add committees formed for the carrying out of the scheme. .It is-a matter of congratulation that thp powers that bo have seen fit. to lower the irate of interest on overdrafts. This Upion combined with the Farmers’ Union in support of such reduction and it is distinctly pleasing to note the re;splt. It is also pleasing to report that owing to pressure being brought to bear in the right quarter the mortgagee indemnity insurance scheme was abol,ished. V V .

out the Dominion, although the progress made w-as by no means as great as it should be. Repeated recommenda-. tions to the Government in the nature of a subsidy had at last born fruit and the Government granted £B,GOO to subsidise herd 1 testing, out ’ of- which' they intended to pay Is per cow to group testing and 6d. on the Government test. Producers should now do their part to justify this action of the Gpvr ernmont, and the solution of most of our problems may bo found, in the attainment of a 3501 b. butter-fat per COW. • ■ .. : , . , I , : - Pork 'Export.,- ■ . ’ During the last season the executive in conjunction .with the-Farmers ’ Union and Pig Breedors’ Federation approach-, cd the Government for a subsidy for the pork industry and he had pleasure in stating that the Government granted the producers £3d,000 for 1 this seasbn, to be continued in lesser amounts for three years and it’was to bo hoped, that the producers would take advantage of this grant'and establish. New Zealand pork on the English markqt. There was to his mind no reason why the, export price of .pork should ,ndt, equal,, thel amount received for our butter and cheese.,' ! ... Tamers’Finance.

"You will, I am'sure/all agree with me that the Rural Intermediate Credit Act is going to bo of great benefit to the primary producers.,of the. Dominion, ’’ ho added, 1 ‘/This, Act- provides for-a necessary system , of, credit for periods ranging from six months to five years, at .reasonable’, rates of interest and • practically for the primary producers the : advantages of an Agricultural Bank; The maximum amount which may bo-borrowed'by an individual persomon-Hr stock land -chattels is £IOOO, and this should provide farmers generally with such intermediate credit as they- require, and will' enable them to introduce more scientific methods of farming." ' Boneless Veal. ' Boneless yeal : was a now industry which, if backed by” the producers, would be an important asset to the Dominion, The South Island experiment-, ed last, season and 1 exported , 20,000 calves, .which; turned out, tory, and after, paying .all expenses returned 9a net per calf .to the producers. The National Dairy. Association had now formed committees in -all provinces in the North Island' and ■ the-intention was to handle the calves on co-operative lines, the farmer to-be advanced 1 7s Cd per calf. -‘Arrangements wore being made with the freezing companies -to kill, freeze, and pack veal putting it to f.o,b. at fixed prices, The-whole of the proceeds. would then bo pooled and’ divided equally per calf t o the farmer. ■ .

The .executive wishes to extend its thjuiks,to those, who, during the past year, so generously helped to further the interests of this Union, and it is hoped that their continued support and .aps}ststico will ho. given to the in'cpming executive.’’ : .-i President’s Address. I .The .chairman supplemented the annudl report in his address to, tlm conference, commenting that the past season, from a production point of view, had been an excellent one. Up till December there was a large increase in production, but owing to the-drought in a number Jof provinces there was a fall-jpg-off in production of, butter-fat from December onwards. However, over the whole season there was an increase of about;,2o per cent. Credit must be given for improved methods of farming for. a certain amount of this increased production.: 4; :.r ; • • Herd- testing' had increased through-

He was glad that the financial position of the Union was yery strong and he hoped the coming year would be one of greater activity.',, increased organisation should, give,- the, .Union a wider scope in .the future and with the increased rcßOuries at command, this i should bo possible.' 4, 7 !Financial Question;4n ' Mr E. 0; Bond '(KuUwhata)-cbiigratuv lated the executive-on the success- that had attended the. year’s work, but ho wondered if the financial improvement, had been made at the expense of the branches. v’. . :.. The president intimated . that there would be a' remit discussed, later oh" the question of how tho branches might be better helped financially. Until last year .the.yhipn hM been working on an overdraft but now that they had a credit balance some assistance could be .promised. ,■' ; ■,■ - • N .. ■■ i The report and balance ■ sheet were .adopted. ■ • -A" ’ : i 4- v Pure Seeds, ■ v ■■ ; The Pohiangina branch' delegates moved that the Government bo asked to bring in a Pure Seeds jßill, or in the'alternative,' make it; compulsory for merchant's to sell under a guaranteed germination test. V' It w.as, pointed out that pure and live seed a as essential in or'der ito secure the greater production which the Government was always crying OUt about. . Mr G. Latham (Awahuri) considered that the Government was being called upon for too much. If a farmer was' up to it, he could test seed ! on his own. “Tho Government will be sick of us,” he concluded. . A member: We are sick of them.

: Mr Bond' pointed out that , all the farmers' produce" went through a test and ho saw no reason why seed supplied should not be tested as well. Other delegates spoke in favour of the proposal which was carried v The President; -The Government are the only people who make the laws and we have to go to them when wo want new legislation. Motor Regulations. The Kauwhata branch protosteu ‘ against the enforcing of tnd Motor regulations, considering that, they were unnecessary and harassing. Mr. Bond remarked that at the present motorists didn’t'know where they stood in regard to tfco regulations; they had.been altered so frequently. . . . Mr 3". Boyce ■ (Glen Oroua) did, not see that the yearly change' of number plates was necessary. In-addition it was a waste of money to get new plates each year. He further considered that now the petrol tax was in force the an-

nual fee' could- well be dropped. ■ ; - - ■ . -’' : : Delegates, agreed -that it,would bo more equitable if the petrpl tax was increased rather than that the annual registration, fee be- .continued. The users of the roads would then be paying for them. . . ■ The remit was altered to read as follows: — * That the £2 annual fee and renewal of number plates bo abolished .and that a protest be made against the continual alteration of the motor regulations. As. amended the remit was carried. Machinery Inspection.

The president moved:—“That the Government be .asked to havd the Machinery Inspection A,ct relating to farm and dairy machinery, other than steam plants, altered to make it compulsory to have an installation inspection only, and that no other inspection bo made, provided no. alteration to the original installation, has been made,", Ho considered .the onus should bo put upon theifirm; installing machinery and not on the farmer. If accidents were increasing as : was alleged by the Department, then' it seemed their inspcction w-as useless. ■ ■ - ! r ”, Mr Bond objected tb' the annual inspection foe when no inspection whs made. Sometimes the - farmers only saw- an inspector onco in-three years,-; Delegates made it .clear that they realised steam • ’ ats needed supervision. . . - ■ •• . .- \ The remit-was carried.; : ; . - - . Dehoming Cattle. The hardy annual that the Government bo asked to make the dehorning of all cattle over 2 years old compulsory, was introduced' by the Fcilding branch, Mr. :W. G. Short sponsoring tho; remit." ; ' . ' ” ... Delegates spoke of the advantage ol having cows and bulls without hoi;ns-t----in some bases .it meant‘increased pro- , duction in that the ’herds were more contented when yarded. ' \ Mr. Leech (Woodvilce) spoke as, a pedigree Jersey breeder, in favour of the proposal., . 1 . Will this niean more inspectors? *sk; cd Mr. J. Brycol ‘ ” J “ '• . The remit’was'carried:’* ' Pedigree Bulla; ■ ; . ‘ * That when pedigree bulls are offered for sale, the dam’s buttorfat production should be available,” was the .text of a remit submitted by tho Eangiotu branch. r , . , The was not:- received, whole-heartedly, by. the Conference al’.though the movers .pointed out that, if in force, such a. regulation-would: result in only the best bulls being put qm the market. , 'y., r*i > It was thought by delegates .that the - matter could be >.well left to the differ; ent societies.

; Mr; -Leech ipointod out, that the semi-; official testing of cOws cost a lot of money and small breetders could'not afford to go into it whole-heartedly. In any case many of the j animals under official test were stuffed. That- was why ho liked the ordinary herd-testing,: ■methods." ' ■ •" ’ 1 ’ • V'- j The remit was finally withdrawn. ■/: Diseases In 'Stock; ' : : *y The Eaugiotu branch moved; "That appreciation bo expressed fo the executive for, the effortsniado, by' them to combat .'the’''diseases.-iiti.;dai^:‘./caittlo, ,: . •namely abortion, nmmmxtls and yagini-, tis and that. the time has arrived >\benV concerted action by,the 1 Agricultural Department must bo made to arj-est the. serious losses caused by these diseases,"Mr. F. J. v Logg sponsored the remit and expressed the hope that, no-stone would bo; loft unturned in-order toVrid tho Dominion of' diseases that , threatened to undermine the industry. ■ Mr Mason (Foilding) considered that? the farmer himself was often responsible for,a lot' of the trouble that ho, had to face in, that He didn't bake enough' caro .with his oowS,..'u . . ,Tho president pointed.put. that-,all whOthqd; listened- to. the recent address; of Dri Eeakes, werApersuaded that ,the ; Department was doing (all if could fp find a remedy for tho diseases mentioned; - ■ VA, Assisting Branches. should; get more financial -aaistanco from the ’funds of thC' exccuii'ye Abas; discussed fend referred' to" the. executive for. favourable consideration. ‘ ” - -'/ Election of Officers. President, Mr. N. Campbell (re.elected)f ’ vice-president,,; Mf. P. J.Small (re-elected) j executive, Messrs G.; Wagstaif, W. H. ■ Gimblett, : i, L. Poupard, J. Boyce, M, D. Murray, ;!WV B. Bickers, F. J. Legg, ,Mason, J. Dawson, M. Eichardson,- H.- Dewar,, J. D, Balraer, ,W. B. Paulding, W. G. Shorty N. J. Gilbert. V" ,

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Bibliographic details

Manawatu Times, Volume LIII, Issue 6666, 20 July 1928, Page 9

Word Count
2,037

DAIRY FARMERS MEET IN ANNUAL CONFERENCE Manawatu Times, Volume LIII, Issue 6666, 20 July 1928, Page 9

DAIRY FARMERS MEET IN ANNUAL CONFERENCE Manawatu Times, Volume LIII, Issue 6666, 20 July 1928, Page 9