MANAWATU A. AND P. ASSOCIATION

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1681, 18 May 1904, Page 29

MANAWATU A. AND P. ASSOCIATION

(From Our Special Reporter.) PALMERSTON, Saturday. A special general meeting of the association was held to-day. Mr W. T. Wood, vice-president, occupied the chair. The Hawke's Bay Association wrote, asking the Manawatu Association to concur with the proposal emanating from the Waikato Farmers' Club as to the necessity of obtaining an alteration to the Slaughtering and Inspection Act, by which stock killed at any registered abattoir may be sold in a local market, and recommending that the support of the Farmers’ Union and other agricultural and pastoral associations be obtained for such proposal. * Mr A. H. Russell questioned the wisdom of supporting the proposal, as it would, in his opinion, throw the whole of the slaughtering into the hands of the meat companies, and shut out competition. Mr W. H. Millward, in reply to tha last speaker, pointed out that under tha Act all towns in the colony, with the exception of the four centres and Invercargill, had power to delegate their abattoir rights. He explained that it wa® desired to allow private companies t© provide slaughtering accommodation fop any butchers who required it. Under present conditions the meat companies cannot utilise the animals unsuitable for the Home markets, except by boiling down. The letter was received. A recommendation was received from the Ground and Winter Show Committees that the question of erecting cover between the poultry and machinery hall (38ft x 60ft) be approved. After a short discussion, the matter was agreed to. a sum of <£l2o being authorised for tho work. A vote of thanks was accorded Messrs Slack Bros, for special prizes of £.2 and <£l as first and second awards in the class for English Leicester shorn ram hoggets. As the result of an energetic canvass by Messrs Cohen, Luxford, McHardy, Batchelar, Gillies and Pratt, eighty-six names were added to the ordinary membership, and twenty-two life members were elected. A sub-committee was appointed to arrange details for the regulation of next year’s ram fair.