NEW ZEALAND FARMERS' UNION

Nelson Evening Mail, 18 May 1917, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND FARMERS' UNION

NELSON PROVINCIAL CONFER- j ENCE. ) The following business was transacted at the. annual conference or' the above Union yesterday afternoon : .Messrs It. P." Hudson and T. A. H. Field, M's.P., were present by invitat ion. REMITS. The following remits were considered : M atari ki.—(l) That it be a recommendation to the Provincial President and Vice-President to visit all the branches in the Provincial District at least once a yea!'. —Carried on the motion of Mr Prummond. seconded by Mr Mead, after some discussion. (2.) That the Government be asked to abolish the taxation of farmers' oil engines other than used for hire.—Carried on the motion of Mr Drummond. seconded bv Mr Maemahon. (3.) That the Public Works Department be urged to speedily erect the cartbridge over Tadmor river; also two bridges on the Wangapeka-Karamea track. Mr Hudson. M.P., at the request of the. Chairman, explained what was being done by the Government in connection with the erection of the bridges. He said the position was not at all satisfactory, j After some discussion the remit was carried on the motion of Mr Drummond, seconded bv Mr Maemahon. Korere.-Motupiko.—That a New Zea- | land meat distribution board be ap- j pointed in London, under the supervision of the High' Commissioner or Trade \ Commission appointed for the purpose. to control the rate and distribution of all meat exported from the Dominion, through appointed agents at reasonable rates to the consumer, so as to effectually combat the Meat Trust monopoly. ' Mr Hudson. M.P.. gave some informa,tion to the meeting on the matter, and icad the following telegram he had received from the Government : | (Telegram.) i "In replv to vour telegram of 14th i mst.. the so-called Beef Trust wa.s named ! bv a combination of large firms in the i United States, among these being Swift I and Co.. Armour and Co.. and Moms I and Co. The Trust was dissolved as a I result of action taken by the United 1 States Government and the companies . now operate independently, but it is , possible that when their common inter- ] ests are menaced they act in unison. ' j These companies, with one or two ! others. still operate in the United i States, and also hold large interests in the Argentine. Messrs Swift and Co. are established in Australia, In New Zealand Messrs Armour and Co. are operating under their own name. Whether ■ other American firms are operating here 1 through the agency of other firms conducting business in New Zealand is not ! fullv and definitely known. The history : of these American firms in the past as shown bv American official reports is that bv means of large capital, enterprise and business capacity they endeavour to squeeze out smaller operators and to obtain among themselves control ; of the meat business of the country. These large American firms operate extensively "in the sale of meat in Great Britain." and if thev obtained sufficient control of the British selling market thev would be able, if they wished, to influence selling values there to the ■, detriment of their New Zealand oppon- I ents. The whole position is receiving j the verv careful consideration of the New Zealand' Government and the Prime Minister, during his stay in Eng- , land, has gone very fully into the. mat- j ter there in order that we may be in the best position posible to adequately safeguard the interests of TSTew Zealand." Mr Field. M.P.. endorsed what Mr Hudson had said, and : urged the farm- I ers to keep the matter before the Go- j ve-nment. \fte.r some discussion the remit was carried on the motion of Mr Macma-h.-.'i, seconded bv Mr Drummond. [ Stanlev Brook.—That the Provincial Executive bring before the Waimea Countv Council the matter of readjustment of rates on the new valuation. A • similar remit from Dovedale was dis- ! cussed at the same time. —Gamed. : Murchison.—That this branch consii ders it advisable that agricultural and I pastoral shows should be considered durin" the currenv of the war.—Carried Waimea,—That the Provincial Conference use its best endeavours to bring before the Nelson Freezing Company the absolute necessitv for the company to fellmonger all sheep and lamb skins ■slaughtered at the works.—Declined. That the Provincial Conference urge on the Government the wisdom of their harnessing up, say, the Rotorua river as an electrical power to construct and run the railway, especially as the coal is becoming such an uncertain quantity. ■ —Carried. . ■ -Messrs Hudson and Field spoke on the question, and said that although nothing could he done during the war no harm would be done in bringing the matter under the noti'-e of the Government. Dovedale.—That a committee be set up to get a general experimental farm in Nelson Province, not a special one for fruit onlv.— Carried. A committee ' was appointed as follows : Messrs H L. Cook. J. Thorn. B. M, Field, r. Whit- j well, and Drummond. That steps be taken to bring before the local bodies controlling the public roads in Nelson the dangers that the .re.neral public incur by the reckless driving of motor cars and cycles : and it be a recommendation that the body controlling all dangerous turnings on hills "and other places, snch as river road*, put up notices for the drivers to reduce their speed to ten miles an hour; that steps be taken to lessen the dangers oi motor traffic, on country roads especially a« regards da'/zling headlights ar.;l excessive speed.—Carried, on the motion of Mr B. M. Field, seconded by Mr Wakapuaka.—That steps should be taken bv the Government to note all farms, the owners of which have lost their lives in the service of the and that returned soldiers should be given the opportunity of acquiring them without going through the hands of speculators.—Carried, on the motion ot Mr Whitwell, seconded by Mr Withers. ELECTION OF OFFICERS. The election of officers resulted as follows:—President, Mr W. Thorn (reelected); vice-president, Mr F. Wnitwell (re-elected) ; hon. treasurer. Mr YV. D. Harkness (re-elected) : auditor, , Mils! Godall (re-elected) ; executive committee, Messrs C. P. Hugonm (Tapawera). G. L. Mead (Motupiko), B. M. Field' (Dovedale), J. Jordan (Stanley Brook), C. Dodson .(Wakapuaka), E. W. Frost (Wakapuaka.). Alt'. 'Wilkinson (Stanlev Brook). K. Godall (Tadmor), J. Thorn '(Dovedale). H. T. Cook (Appleby), and J. G. Page (Takaka). 'The president and vice-president were appointed to represent the Nelson district at the Dominion Conference. The conference closed with a vote oJ thanks to the chairman.