FARMERS’ QUESTIONS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1681, 18 May 1904, Page 67

FARMERS’ QUESTIONS

(From Our' Special .Correspondent.) - Speaking at the annual meeting of the - Sandon Branch of the Farmers Union, Mr J. G. Wilson, Colonial President, spoke of the great loss caused to agriculturists in the district owing to " THE RUST affecting oats. The season would have been a disastrous one indeed Jiad taimeidenended entirely upon grain, but fortunately, owing to the mixed style ot tarming they had some compensating advantages from the high price of stock, duo to the frozen meat industry, and the good results of the dairy industry. In i oat Yield had been the -worst since he had been settled in the district. W it became manifest how seriously tive crops were about to suffer he telegraphed to th > Agriculture Department asking that Mi Kirk, pomologist, . be sent to investigate the cause. The crons being then m vaiious states of growth and infection, it - appeared the right time to study a kind of rust which had not, at any rate in that form, appeared in the district. Untortunately, Mr Kirk was absent at Dunedin, attending a medical congress, and possibly the communication did not reach him from the Department. Later, /he telegraphed direct to Mr Kirk, pointing ■out. the importance of prompt investigation, and received a reply that he would be up and try and get into the district on the Monday following. He was sorry to say lio liad not hoard a* word from _ JVii Kirk since as to what prevented him coming. He had since in a letter to the Secretary of the Agriculture Department, stated his regret that no investigation -■ had been made at the right time. His own experience was like that 01 many others. Out of 300 acres in oats 100 were useless, and he had turned stock in to it, and "from the other 200 he had -duly harvested 10 bushels to the acre, not eiiough to supply the wants of his own farm. The cause was undoubtedly some kind 01 rust, and when it first made its appearance he believed the crops would shake it • off, but instead they fell to the ground. The curious thing was that wheat and barley were unaffected, as also were Algerian oats. In- Waiiarapa aau Hawke s > Bay. the creps were excellent. —the oats bright and the straw good. The area ot infection was from the Waikato through Taranaki and the W est Coast. In this large extent of country very few oats had been grown, the loss of farmers m the facing enormous. .At fiist n© was inclined to think that with the wet Benson the want of drainage had something to do with it, but the crop from his drained land was infected equally with the others. He could not think the cause either was the want of manure because Rangitikei and Manawatu farmors had used manure, yet their crops were misted. He suggested that an organised trip to MOMOHAKI STATE FARM should be made by Union members. It was a place that did not excite the interest it should amongst farmers. Most interesting''experiments were being made there in the way of tree planting, hedges and other things. It appeared quite easy to make an experimental station o* this farm and even make it an agricultural college at a small cost for buildings, for farmers had neither the time nor the scientific training to carry out such inquiries as to the best manures to use under diverse conditions, the best grain to cultivate, best breed of fowls, and other things. - He believed a visit could be arranged, and special train provided, so that farmers could go and see what was being done at Momohaki and return the same day. The last had been an active year and he thought THE UNION had something to show for it. 'First of all they had the Act passed for Mutual Eire Insurance and he thought it was a cause of hope that the Government should have taken that up. It was a sign that Government had come to recognise that the Union w&s not & political organisation. The same feeling was evident m the manner Mr Seddon had met a deputation from the Union who went to urge that agricultural labourers should lie encouraged to come to the oolony, and every opportunity given for those now bo engaged to take land for themselves. The deputation was also met very cordially by the Minister of Railways, and the same spirit was manifest in the Minister of Agriculture attending the dinner of the Palmerston branch. It had come to be seen that the Union was not formed for the purpose of putting out one political party and another m but that it was formed to make known the thoughts and wishes of the farming community. Observing last session that there was an . amending Bill of the Valuation Ant before' the House he had written to Mr Ktrkbride asking him to introduce a olause to enable local bodies to appoint one assessor. At present farmers did not . qare to go into the court to endeavour to get a reduction in valuation, having no representation there, and not being able to bring such a number of witnesses to contend against, as were available to the Valuatipn Department. The clause was lost by one vote and the Union had a re-

cord of the voting of the members on that occasion and would be able to produce it at the right time. They did not want to intimidate (the labour unions had also their Parliamentary committee) but they did think that such information might be useful at a future time. Another great question of moment to this country ivas that of THE FREEHOLD. It had been brought to the front by tho branches advocating the granting Crown tenants under the -Lands for Settlement Act the right to acquire the freehold of their holdings. This the Union had consented co advocate on payment by the lessees of the difference of the actual value of the 4 per cent., no tv charged, and the 5 per cent, charged to tenants with the right to purchase, that is to say, the payment of arrears of one par cent, and the accrued interest thereon. The single taxers, while opposed to the granting of the freehold, -were in favour of a Fair Rent Bill, which was inconsistent with leaving the tenant on the land on the same terms as now granted to him. In view of the feeling on the matter the Executive had thought it best that some authoritive statement of the view of the Union should he made. Mr Cooper had proposed to give an address on the subject during the next sitting of the Conference at Masterton and Mr Bruce also, if the occasion arose, but after th& addresses made by Messrs Laurenson and Taylor down South the call came to him suddenly to speak at Ashburton, in order to endeavour to correct any misrepresentation made of the views of the organisation. Mr Lewis and he had a very nice meeting there, but they, at any rate, gave the young men and the other side something to think about. Down there the leaseholders were occupying land on which no expenditure had to be incurred in felling bush, consequently their improvement and interest in the land were less valuable; they had little rent to pay and they were not anxious for the right to purchase. Here the small runholder on bush land actually held four-fifths of the value df the land yet the Government, with but one-fifth inhad entire control of the manner of cultivation. The injustice of this arrangement had been acknowledged by Mr Duncan, Minister for Lands, who had said “as far as he could see the bush settlers should get their freehold. That the Crpwn tenants desired the freehold was shown by the petition signed by those in one district in the neighbourhood. The State would gain by selling the freehold in a charge that could then he made for land tax, and the purchase money’would be available for the State to purchase other large estates for subdivision, or for other advisable means of expenditure. The Union wanted selectors of land to have freedom of choice between the several forms of tenure, and it certainly was not desirous of aiding land speculators as it was misrepresented to be by a southern paper. Mr Wilson concluded by saying that a 5s subscription to the Union would not be too large, and expressing himself in favour of a sliding scale according to the means' of the member. As a matter of fact the available to the Executive woxrld be insufficient if they had not such an enthusiastic organiser.