FARMERS' UNION

Northern Advocate, 21 June 1926, Page 2

FARMERS' UNION

MEETING OF AUCKLAND EXECUTIVE. Just now it is a question of "Pigs in Bigs.” Committees arc flying about, everything about pigs is flying about, if the pigs themselves are not yet flying: Pig Clubs arc “in the air.’’ Manawatu is stated to have paid lld per lb. more than we got in Auckland, through organisation, and wo are after that three half-pence. However, the committees have nst yet completed thefir work, and wo shall have more of this anon. Organisation, as usual, took up a good deal of time, and farmers may look for a bombshell shortly. If they won’t walk into their union they may expect to be blown into it! The dangerous Water Hyacinth, which the Union first reported as “on sale,” appears to have made a previous visit. Though .this plant will complete-' ly block rivers in countries where the climate favours it, it appears that the Government cannot block importation. One member of the Executive suggested that here was a legitimate use of the “Order-in-Couneil” powers.

'Rather a cunions outcome of the ventilation of the ridiculous discrimination in' freight on local molasses, as against Fijian, which came up for. discussion at the last conference, of the use of the railway tariff for protective purposes, was afforded by a letter from the Grain, Seed and Produce Merchants’ Association, extracts from which follow:

“The railage on molasses of New Zealand manufacture is at Class E rate for lots of fSOcwt. or over, and at E and I- rate, for lesser quantities. If not of Now Zealand manufacture, the rail freight is at Class D, which is about double, the object of which was evidently to protect the local industry, and, at the same time, help improve the quality of New Zealand stock. We ■are informed by the sole New Zealand manufacturers, namely, the Colonial Sugar Refining Co., Auckland, that they are unable to manufacture, at the most, more than 40 per, cent, of New Zealand’s requirements, and thus have to draw part of their requirements from 1 Fiji. Under the circumstances, the 40 per cent, they do manufacture they are unable to supply as New Zealand, as by so doing it would cause great dissatisfaction and trouble with the majority of their clients placed in competition with the favoured few who were lucky enough to receive the New Zealand article. The farmer would feel very sore being charged considerably more than his neighbour for molasses delivered at the same time.”,

The farmers should feel gratified. Tt is never too late to mend!