FARMERS CONFER

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10966, 30 July 1921, Page 9

FARMERS CONFER

THE DOMINION’S PRODUCE REMITS ON MANY MATTERS DEALT WITH. ELECTION OF OFFICERS. Tlie Farmers’ Union conference coneluded its -sitting last evening. Many delegates left for their resistive homes during‘tli-e day, consequently the attendance dwindled down considerably in tho .afternoon and evening. Mr U. \\ . Leadley (Ashburton), Dominion president, was in the chair. DAIRY SCHOOL. Mr R. Dunm (Taranaki) .moved: "That tho time has arrived when a dairy school be established in the Dominion. The mover said that the Government had promised to establish such a school which was necessary so that young men could qualify as dairy experts. The remit was canned. BUTTER-FAT STAND*ARD. Captain C'olbeck ■ (Auckland) moved.: "That in. view of the great importance of improving the dairy cattle and raising the standard of butter-fat, the Government be urged to procure tlie best sires possible, by purchasing abroad it necessary, such sires to be mated with selected cows at the Government faring and j’ouQfj bulls distributed to farmers. Captain Col-beck said that the stock at Ruakura farm were not of the best quality. and lit was essential that they should he in the interests of the industry. Mr C. K. Wilson (Piopio) said that the average production of the dairy herds in the Dominion was 166 per cent, of but-tor-fat, which was very low, and dt should be improved. ' , . _ , Mr W. A. Banks (Rangiora) said that the best results from dairy herds had been obtained by special feeding, and tit was not fair to -decry the stock at Ruakura <m that account alone. ' Tho remit was lost, and Mr A. Craig (Otago) said that the Government was not receiving the appreciation which _lt deserved for what it had done in the interests of dairying.

GRADING AND TESTING. Mr A. Harding (Auckland) moved: "That this conference considers? that the Government should make it compulsory for all persons employed in dedry factories grading and testing milk and cream to hold certificate® of competency issued by the dairy division/* The remit was carried. As was the following one, which was also moved by an Auckland delegate: "That in order to enable purely co-operative companies to permanently maintain the co-operative principle. they should have the right to resume their own shares in the same manner as provided in the Dairy Companies Act." LOADING OF CREAM.

On the motion of Mr G. P. Johnston (Gore) the following rerpit was arried: "That this conference strongly protests against the charge of threepence per can made by the Railway Department for «he loading of cream; we consider the charge unwarranted, ''and therefore respectfully ask to have it removed/* Mr G. Sheat (Dunsandel) said he was m full sympathy with the motion. Dairy factories had been eliminated from the Canterbury district, and tho time wasted in putting a can of cream on the railway was a great loss to farmers. banners had often to wait ah hour, and whfen a "pub” was handy it amounted to more. It would be better if the farmers-spent the time lost on their farms producing more cream. A voice: You must hav ea poor class of farm employees in Canterbury. The remit w&s lost. BUTTER SUBSIDY. Mr E. McPadden (Buller) moved-~ "That the Government be urged to pay equalisation moneys in respect of butter supplied during the present season to shareholders .and -suppliers of butter factories.” Mr Lees, on being asked to explain th© position, said that when factories satisfied the auditor that the butter was made in private households equalisation was made. • Mr Hoarding stated that some 'of the smaller factories did not realise the position, and failed to place the whole of their butter on the market. The motion would help the smaller man. The remit was rejected. TO RRJBVENT SPECULATION. In moving the following remit" That the Government be asked to legislate to prevent speculation in butter when the butter control expires/* Mr E. McPa'dden (Duller) said that at the present time there was great speculation in butter,* and the dairy factories were blamed, j The price should be controlled. Thej subsidy on butter would be removed at* the end of August, and no doubt the price of butter would advance. There were different prices all over New Zealand, and there was undoubtedly speculation in butter, more <eapeo£aUy in respect to the winter supply. It wasi the consumer he was trying to help. The motion was adddd to the following one :—"That this conference affirms the. grinciple of retail prices being governed y competition, and the ordinary supply and demand of the articles/* and carried. _

SFEYING OF COWS. Mr W. D. Lysnar (Poverty Bay) moved —“That £he Government be urged to appoint an efficient officer to instruct farmers in the matter of speying of cows/* It was recognised that the> question was a veisy important one, and Dr 0. J. Reakes a T(Director-General of Agricul-* ture) said that the department had been keeping in touch and making investigafor a considerable period. Inquiries had been, and were continued, to, be made in Great Britain and', America, and he looked forward to the time when the officers of the department would be more in the nature of inetruc- ! tors. (Hear, he^r.) Several -delegates expressed high ap--1 preciation of the excellent service that 1 was being given to fanners by officers of the department. STRICTER REGULATIONS. The following: motions, moved by the Poverty Bay and Wairarapa delegate®; respectively, were passed without much discussion “That this conference urges the Government to enforce stricter regulations in regard, to the cattle tick mefl-i •ace; define stock routes; and declare, the infested area/* "That the Government be urged to strictly enforce the quarantine regulations for all cattle being transported from infected areas/* CULLED COWS. A motion. "That cows cuHled from a. dairy herd for lack of butter-fat pro-, duebion be branded with a .permanent bland by the* Government Stock Inspector, in older to prevent their purchase by other dairymen/* occasioned considerable controversy. Mr A. Campbell (Dannevirke) card that; It was impossible to determine the quality of a cull cow unless the testing of dairy herds was made compulsory. It was stated that the compulsory testn mg of dairy cattle in Denmark existed. Mr W. M. Singleton (daily instructor}, .aiaid that ih© was not certain that compulsory testing was in vogue in Denmark. There was a testing association there. Inspectors visited tho farms and cows were tested for a fee. He trusted the remit would not 'be carried. The remit was rejected. TUBERCULOSIS IN CATTLE. Mr W. Smith (Marlborough) proposed: ''That the Govornraen* be urged to have aJI the herds in the South Inland compulsorily tested by the *tock inspector for tuberculosis, reasonable market value} to bo paid as compensation for condemned/* !■ Strong exception was taken to tho mo-, tion, and it was withdrawn-.

BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. “That this conference make representation to the proper authority in order to secure to tlie Farmers* Union the right to participate in the nominating and voting for members of the Board of Agriculture/* moved by Mr E. Lowmar (Southland) was agreed to. FIREBLIGHT. On the motion of Mr W. D. Lysnar (Poverty Bay), the Department of Agriculture is to be asked to keep down tho growth of blackberry in Now Zealand, and, in time, to eradicate it. Mr J. H. Joll was desirous of having hawthorn hedges classed, as noxious weed» if they have been proved a menace to fruit-growing by the spreading of fireblight. Dr Reakes said that it had been proved beyond doubt that hawthorn was a medium of spreading fireblight. Hawthorn had been declared a noxious weed,, and local bodies could declare it as such in their respective districts. It wa« to be hoped that fireblight* would prove a seasonable disease, but so far such position had not been established in New Zealand or America. , After the explanation of Dr Reakes, who added that the department wae doing its beet to deal with the disease, the remit moved eu behalf of Hawke*s Bay was withdrawn. A remit -asking the Government to i n_ demnify owners for destroying hawthorn hedges if compulsory -destruction became law, was carried. IMPURE MANURES. A motion was brought forward by the Auckland delegate urging upon, the Government to increase the penalty for selling manures deficient in quality or short of weight and to advertise convictions in the daily Press. It was pointed out that the powers asked for were now /in existence and the remit was withdrawn. TRAFFICKING IN FOODSTUFFS. Mr G. P. Johns ton/s (Southland) motion "that this conference calls on the Government to take stops to prevent trafficking in ‘futures/ in farm produce and foodstuffs of the Dominion, and that such dealing bo made a criminal offence and punishable by fine and imprisonment/* caused considerable discussion. The mover stated that America had realised that in tho interest© of her wheat industry trafficking in what was known as "paper wheat/* must be stopped. and if the motion was hot carried by the present conference it would be compelled to do so in the future.

It was said by one delegate that the freezing industry had been built up on the buying in '’futures/* and the term "paper oofs’* or "paper wheat*’ did not apply in New Zealand. The motion was rejected, and on the suggestion of the chairman it was decided to ask the incoming executive to make inquiries in America respecting the law there regarding "future** buying. STORAGE! OF WOOL. It was resolved to ask the woolbrokera to reduce the charge for storage of wool by half 'on account of the low price which was being obtained for wool. Despite the fact that the price had dropped the storage Imd remained the same ELECTION' OF OFFICERS. The ballot -which was held for election of officers for the ensuing year resulted a© follow:—Dominion president, Mr W J. Poison (Fordell); Dominion vice-pro eident., Captain Colheck (Morrinsvil'le) j advisory committee. North Island, Messrs j. Livingston (Dannevirke), J- R. Mar shall (Marten), and A. E. Harding (Mangawhare); South Island, Messrs G. W. Leadley (Ashburton), W. W. Mulholland (Darfield), and E. Bowman (Gore)* CONCLUDING BUSINESS. A motion, "That this conference urges upon the Government the necessity ot instituting some comprehensive system -of national -roading," brought forward bi Mr R. D. Dux held (Auckland), was carried, *as was one by Hawke*© iiay "Thai tins conference declares against the toll gate system as obsolete and that a tyre tax wouid be more equitable/* The following further remits were agreed to: — Auckland.—" That the Government be urged to press on with the hydro-electn* ‘Schemes**; Wellington and Wairarupu "That this conference urge upon the Government the imperative need for a vigorous prosecution of the forestry programme as outlined by the'Minister, and where the Government enforce fencing on the boundrie® of forestry reserves and farming lands it should bear the cost**} Taranaki; "That the law as it at present stands does not appear to -be effective in preventing seditious or disloyal persons being eligible to take a seat in the Houae of Representatives, and that it should be immediately amended so ue to -prevent any such possibility**: Poverty Bay: "That this conference strongly supports the Government in preserving law and order in this Dominion, and loyalty to country and Empire, and urges that more stringent measure© be taken with disloyalists**; Auckland: "That the time has arrived when in the settlement of disputes between employers and employees, the third party affected shall be given voice, that third oarty being the general public and consumers**; Taranaki: "That it be a suggestion to A. and P. Associations that -they consider the advisability of the establishment of • a Royail Agricultural Show in the Dominion similar to that held in England”; and "that the Government be urged to amend the present law relating to the weekly half-holiday with a view to extending the right of vote to country residents on the earn© baisis a« town votes/* I The conference then went into committee-