FARMERS' FEDERATION.

Northern Advocate, 30 July 1924, Page 3

FARMERS' FEDERATION.

i ______ PEOPOSAL FOK ONE BIG UNION. CONFERENCE TO BE CALLED. A suggestion that a federation should bo formed to represent the wh'ole of New Zealand farming interest was made by the New Zealand Dairy FarmFarmers' Union, said that the proposal New Zealand Farmers' Union. Mr. W. J. Poison, president of the armers' Union, said that the proposal was no new one. It had come before the conference four years ago, when it had been sympathetically received. He did not care in what form such a, federation came about so long as it did come about. Surely .there was some machinery by which all the producers of the country could be brought together. Mr. P. J. Small, president of the Dairy Farmers' Union, said that his uni'on was straight out for amalgamation. Most unions, ho said, had organisers going about the country causing friction between the various producing interests. If amalgamation did not come now it would come within a year or two. When it did come the complete organisation of the producers of the country would be an easy matj ter. [ Mr. W. B. Matheson (Eketahuna) did not favour setting up further machinery. The Fanners' Union, he said, had always numbered a good many dairy- ' men in its ranks. ■ Mr. G. L. Marshall (Marton) sug- j gestod that the Farmers' Union should set up committees in each district cmbracing all classes of producers. The matter had been discussed by the Council of Agriculture, and they had got on very well until it came to the question of representation. There were too J many farmers' organisations now. i

At the request 'of Mr. C. E. Murney (Otago) nil delegates who were dairy farmers were asked to hold their hands up, and 21 hands were raised.

Mr. B. Roberts, president of the Wail'arapa provincial branch of the Dairy Farmers' Union, said that they were not there to make overtures to the Farmers' Union. The Dairy Farmers , Union had' pr'ofited by the experiences and the mistakes of the Farmers' Un-

Mr. J. B. Dick (Marlborough) said that the dairymen of New Zealand had last year exported £17,000,000 worth of produce, and were not one penny the better off for it. Mr. Fox: 'We are worrying much more and the position was too serious for them to stick to old dogmas. The struggle for existence to-day was much harder than ever it had been. Mr. Matheson: Do you mean to say we are'working harder to-day than we did in the past? Mr. Fox: Much harder. Mr. Matheson: You don't kn'ow what you are talking about. Mr. Fox: We arc worrying much more anyhow. Continuing, Mr. Fox said that what, was wanted was organisation along the lines of industry. When this had been clone, amalgamation would follow as a natural course. Mr. Poison said it was a sound principle to stand shoulder to shoulder, and he for one would join heartily with the Dairy Farmers' Union.

! Mr. Atkins moved: "That this conference approves of the principle of organisation, and invites the producers' organisations to send delegates to meet the executive of the Farmers' Union at a round-table conference." Mr. O. P. Lynch seconded the motion. Mr. C. C. Munro (Auckland) advised them to be careful to see that in trying to organise further they did not disorganise. The dairy farmers had broken away from the Farmers' Union, and now they came back with this loose proposal for amalgamation. Mr. J. D. Hall (Hororata) said that they could never hope to succeed in big matters like taxation, transport, and education until all sections of the primary prodμcers were united. Mr. Small said that if they could get the loyal support of all the primary producers for the Farmers' Union that would be all that w'ould be wanted, but unfortunately they could not. He appealed to the members of the Farmers , Union to give the proposal for amalgamation consideration, and do their best to bring it about.

The motion was carried unanimously.