FARMERS' UNION.

Northern Advocate, 7 August 1922, Page 3

FARMERS' UNION.

MAUNGATAPERE branch. COMPULSORY TESTING DLSC USSE'P. A meeting of the Maungatapere branch of the N.Z.F.U. was held i;i the Maungatapere hall on "Wednesday evening; present —Messrs K. M. Stevens (in the chair), G. »S. B. Morrison, .T. Havward, W. Crouclier, D. Kerr, G. Hurgreaves, C. Stevens, J. J. Eraser, A, Edge, Jones, A. C. Mannington, J. M<*Rae, O. Peterson, G. Given, A. Beehre. .T. Courtney, H. Ellis (secretary) and the organising secretary. Mr F. L. Cubit t. After the minutes ar. ! correspondence had been dealt with Mr Morrison, delegate to the Auckland conference, gave ti resume of his mission. He explained that it was unfortunate that Maungatapere had not had a meeting before the conference to consider the agenda paper and instruct him how to vote. However, he did his host and voted on the remits according to their merits. An outstanding feature of the conference was the attendance of Mr Poison, Dominion president of the N.Z.F.TJ., who gave a very interesting address and some useful advice. The agricultural banks proposal was traversed closely by Mr Poison, and Mr Massev had now promised legislation '.o allow the Dominion to go in for farmers' banks. Mr Poison had spoken >as the mouthpiece of the Dominion executive on the political issue, knowing that the Auckland executive had received ft mandate from the farmers "to go into polities. Now that they had made a start it would not be wise to turn back, ,but at the same time he hoped they would do nothing that would cause a split in the ranks. Mr Morrison next dealt with some of the lending remits, amongst which was one from the Ivaipara S.P. executive, "that the Government be requested to bring in legislation next session in order to raise the dairying standard of the Dominion by compelling all suppliers of milk and cream to the dairy and cheese factories of the Dominion to register their cows and have them tested as to butter-fat production by the duly authorised tester of each factory. This remit had been referred back to the executive, and he would like the branch's instructions hew to deal with it when it came up at the next executive meeting. The president said it might be a good idea to deal 'with the remit right away, and this was accordingly done. Mr Ellis said he was against the remit as it stood. He submitted thaitesting was an essential, but the remit did not go 2r t r enough. There should be legislation passed to compel dairymen to get lid of their culls in the pro* ner channel. At the same time they must watch that they did not crcatc any undue hardship on the dairymen. This matter should be brought in gradually. At the present time quite a number of dairymen were testing at home, and this was cheaper than having it done at the factory. 1 Mr Hay ward, in moving to support j the remit, said he h.id been milking for years and they were all losing money "hand over fist." If testing were made compulsory, it would be a great advantage to the dairymen and the Dominion as a whole. A small percentage of dairvmen were testing their cows, but the majority were not. They could guarantee a cow as to soundness, but through not testing they could not guarantee as to butter-fat. He tested once a year, but that was not enough. They ninsl test monthly to get the true value of a cow. Mr K. M. Stevens, in seconding the motion, said that home testing was no good. They should all have their cows tested by a duly qualified tester. In his opinion, if a man has a cow that was a "crook" he should state it, though a cow may go out sound and come in with a bad quarter. Testing should be made compulsory,, and until that was done the average butter-fat per cow for the year would remain low. Mr Mannington said that what was aimed at was to get legislation passed to enable the fa"tories to make testing compulsory. One? legislation was passed then the Government would havo nothing further to do wit-h the matter, so that dairymen need not fear Gc vernment restrictions. It was shocking that in their district only 20 herds were tested out of 200. Several others spok? in favour of testing, but absolutely objected to the compulsory clause. The president then called for a vote on the motion, which was defeated, five voting for and eight against.

MANURIAL PURITY. Another remit from Jluntly West was referred back to the executive —"That it be a recommendation from the conference to the Govern nent that legislation be introduced so that in the event of convictions for selling manures at less than a prescribed analysis, the minimum penalty shall not be less than £100." Mr A. Edge, in moving- support of the remit, .said it was .in. absolute fraud to sell bad manures, and it came very hard on farmers who had to pay big freights, to say nothing of the handling, putting on the land, and the probable poor crops as a consequence. Severe punishment should be inflicted for selling manures below the standard. Mr Kerr, in seconding the motion, said he quite concurred with the previous speaker that no punishment should be too great for this fraud. The motion was put to the meeting and carried. Mr Morrison then resinned his report of the conference and dealt with the most important remits. Mr Kerr proposed i hearty vote of thanks to Mr Morrison for his explicit report on the conference and the able manner in which he had attended to the branch's interests at the Auckland conference. Mr Hay ward seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously, Mr Morrison suitably replying. ORGANISING SECRETARY• S ADDRESS. The president then introduced Mr Cubitt, the organis ing secretary, and asked him to address the meeting. Mr Cubitt said this was the fifth district he had visited and he had had good results. Three bruiehes had been formod and others were being formed. Up to the present he had enrolled about 80 members, and in the Maungatapere district, he had enrolled K> members and had strong hopes of lifting this to .'SO. The most perplexed question before the union was the sparsely attended branch meetings, but he was surprised in liis travels to find that the settlers lived so far from a clentre and most of them had ' bad roads to travel. He instanced Mangakahia, and said he was not able to offer a solution in that ■ district. In the Maungatapere district matters were different. There were about 80 settlers depending on Maungatapere as their centre of the union, and it had been suggested that a branch be forr.icd at Whatitiri. They had the requisite number and that branch would serve the Otuhi settlers and tho Wlieki Valley. He had visited all the settlers in these two places and enrolled them as members of the union, and it would create a hardship for them to get to j Maungatapere for meetings, but they could get to Whatitiri, and it was only right that they should have their own branch, especially as it would not affoci Maungatapere. He had the Kara district and Maunu to complete yet. and and the former might be able to have a bmnch, but it was absolutely necessary for the members who lived "on the metal" and close to the hall to keep the branches going. If only eight turned up oat of a membership of .*?0 or so. it was disheartening, but they must carry on, and do the business, and the rest must bear the responsibility. Mr Cubitt spoke on the question now the union branches of forming a new Northern area. In his opinion the change would not be for the betterment of the union in the North. The expense would be much greater than at present. Only about one-third of the farmers were members. They should enroll all, and then if a change were needed it would be time enough. They could not make a success of the union unless they employed good, earnest organisers. The personal touch could not be done away with. Mr Cubitt next touched on the-sub-j scription of £1 10s, which he contended was all needed to c irry on the work, but if all the organisers had good results and enrolled the farmers, then the subscription could be reduced. Tho graduated scale had proved a disaster in the Kaipara. Mr Cubitt introduced the question of forming ladies' clubs 1o run in conjunction with the Farmers' Union branches. They could li nullc the social side of the question which was so essential to the successful working of a branch. Mr Hay ward asked Mr Cubitt if it were in the best interests of Maungatapere to start a branch at Whatitiri, he felt it would rob members from the former branch. Mr Cubitt said that a branch at Whatitiri would not affect Maungatapere in the least, and to prove this he read a list of 18 names that would be on the Whatitiri roll, and with the exception of one none of them attended the Maungatapere branch, or at least at very irregular periods. Mr Morrison said that they must look at this matter as a general one, and how it affeete-.l tli ? farmer*. They must do their best to let all have branches where warranted. Maunga-

taperc had quite enough members to carry on with. Messrs Kerr and Edge also spoke in favour of Whatitiri Laving, its own, branch. COUNTRY TELEPHONES. Mr Mannington moved: "That this branch write to the Government asking for an immediate- grant to country districts of the telephone facilities so long promised by the Hon. J. G. Coatcs." The unemployed, sair Mr Mannington, could be put on erecting poles and lines. The motion was pu; to the meeting and carried. A vote of thanks to the chair terminated a very successful meeting. Mr Stevenr moved a hearty vote of thanks to Mr Cubitt for his r.ddrcss and the work he was doing, not only in that district, but all of the districts, and hoped he would continue to have the same amount of success throughout his tour. The vote was carried by acclamation and Mr Cubitt thanked the 'meeting. NORTHERN AREA. The forming of x Northern provincial area was discussed by the meeting. Mr Morrison said it would be a pity to pull awav from Auckland and deal direct with Wellington. This would entail a big expense in sending delegates to Wellington. Auckland had always given a sympathetic hearing and done a lot for the North. The meeting unanimously decided >.to [ turn the t scheme down.

WHATITIRI BRANCH FORMED A well attended meeting of settlers was held in the Whatatiri school on Thursday, the organising secretary (Mr P. L. Cubitt), the secretary of the Maungatapere branch (Mr Ellis) and Mr A. Edge attending for the purpose of giving tho requisite information concerning the formation of a branch of the N.Z.F.U. at Whatitiri. The organising secretary was voted to the chair, and after he had fully explained the purposes, duties and advantages of the N.Z.F.U. in general and branches in particular Mr Barclay moved that a branch be formed at Whatitiri . The motion was seconded by Mr Trigg, discussed at length and adopted unanimously. Mr Barclay was elected president of the branch and took the chair, vice Mr Cubitt, amid applause. Mr Trigg was elected vice-president. Mr Carruth, jnr., secretary and treasurer, and the president was appointed delegate. Messrs .T. Pvle, Stewart, Reynolds and Edge were elected to act with the officers as the committee. Mr Cubitt congratulated the settler? upon the inauguration of the branch.

and urged them to attend the meetings regularly with a view to attaining the objectives of .the branch and enlarging the success of the Union as a whole. Mr Ellis also extended his congratulations and pointed out the benefit of a separate branch at Whatitiri ay apart from Maungatapere. seeing that the settlers in the former area coul.i rarely attend meetings in the latter locality. Information of a technical nature as affecting the secretarial work was given by Mr Ellis, who also recounted the main features of the latest Farmers' Union conference in Auckland. The president expressed his conviction that the district had made a sagacious move in establishing the branch and appealed for consistent attendance at' the meetings and a punctual start. Compulsory testing and the formation of a Northern provincial—two remits referred back from the Auckland conference for further consideration of branches—were thoroughly discussed and decisions reached averse from the the proposals. Votes of thanks were recorded the organising secretary, Mr Ellis and the president of the branch for his able occupancy of the chair.