CROWN TENANTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22066, 23 September 1933, Page 5

CROWN TENANTS

SOUTH CANTERBURY EXECUTIVE The monthly meeting of the South Canterbury Crown Tenants’ Association was held in Timaru on Thursday, when Mr D. C. Kidd occupied the chair, and the following delegates were present:— Messrs B. J. Moyle, J. Bell, G. Reid, J. J. Gregan, A. S. Ayrey, J. Johnson, C. F. Rose, A. 6. Morrison, L. M. Fenwick, E. R. Goultcr, W. H. Collins, H. G. Hamer, J. Henderson, A. Seivewright, W. Ellis, T. Lysaght, R. W. Wightman, J. Addis and. C. W. Markham (secretary). >

The president welcomed Mr W. Ellis, the new delegate from Winchester, and a motion of sympathy was passed with Mrs Ward and family, Mills Settlement, Hook, on the loss of her husband. The following letter was received from the secretary of the Governor-General: — “As your association rightly surmised, the Governor-General could not with constitutional propriety express an opinion as to the course which the land policy of this Dominion should take, as this would encroach directly upon party political policy. Should, when he next visits Timaru, an opportunity present itself to him for having a talk with the farmers of the district on their various problems, he would certainly welcome it, and I am to say that his Excellency will gladly bear the matter in mind. But according to present indications, it is unlikely that such a visit can be made during the next three months.”—The secretary was instructed to forward the association’s thanks and assurance that a lecture to the Crown tenants and farmers of South Canterbury would be much appreciated. A letter was read from the secretary of the Dairy Board, regarding the new regulation which compels a dairy farmer to continue to supply the factory he starts the season with. The regulation was stated as being necessary in the endeavour to improve the quality of dairy produce. The letter stated that at present if a supplier’s milk or cream were classed second grade the supplier often changed his factory.—Delegates expressed the opinion that the regulation had been brought down by the dairy division, and others held it was just another move to tie up the few remaining liberties enjoyed by the farmer. Others again stated that they thought the regulation would be found to be unworkable in practice. Most delegates favoured the idea of trying to stop the present overlapping of cream carting, which alone cost £40,000 a year. The secretary was instructed to make a protest against this waste. A long discussion took place on several recent forfeitures. Mr Kidd said that although he held a special meeting for Crown tenants in trouble many tenants allowed their affairs to drift almost beyond recall before they placed their cases in his hands. This made his work double, besides jeopardising their chances by apathy and delay.—lt was eventually agreed that the association do its utmost to get the law altered so that a tenant would have the right of appeal to the higher court. The secretary reported that the Hawke’s Bay branch had had its first meeting as a provincial executive on the previous Saturday, and he thought the Hawke’s Bay Crown Tenants’ Association would soon be to the North Island what the South Canterbury executive was to the South Island.