OTAGO AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL SOCIETY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2006, 4 August 1892, Page 8

OTAGO AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL SOCIETY.

A meeting of tbe Committee of the Otngo Agricultural and Pastoral Sociuty was held in the secretary's office 011 Saturday, when the following members were present :— Messrs M. Sinclair (president, in the ch.iir), W. Patrick, John Roberts, R. Gawn, J. W. Wright, W. IL Taggart, James Smith jim., W. D. Sutherland, Thos. Brydonc, Sydnpy James, and W. Cuningham Smith.

A letter was read from the Chief Inspector of Stack, declining to accede to the society's request to have Goat Island proclaimed a quarantine ground, on the grounds that tho island is unsuitable and that Quail Island at Lyttelton and Soames Island at Wellington provide sufficient accommodation for the colony. He mentioned that at the present moment there nre no stock in quarantine anywhere. The date of the show was fixed for Thursday and Friday, December 1 and 2, so as to fit in with the race days of the Spring meeting of the Jockey Club, which are Tuesday (November 29), Wednesday (November 30), and Saturday (December 3). Visitors to Dunedin will thus have three days' racing and two clays' show in the same week, which arrangement has been a marked success in Canterbury, where the Christchurch carnival week is the great holiday of the year.

The following new members were elected and appointed honorary stewards : — Messrs Alexander Mathieson, Alexander Smaill, J. A. Sanderson (all of Tomahawk), J. J MAuley (Portobello), W. Riddle (Peninsula), W. Jaffray, R. Todd (Taieri), and William Livingstone (Waitahuna).

Programme, Finance, Grounds, and Parade Committees were appointed ; also strong Canvassing Committees for the town and country districts..

Mr Roiieuts proposed, and Mr Brydonis seconded, the following resolutions as to exempting the agricultural and pastoral industry from the operation of the Factories Act, which were carried unanimously, viz. :—: —

"(1) That the attention of the Minister for Agriculture be called to the fact that under ' The Factories Act 1891 ' a woolshed, barn, or any building on a farm, where three or moic persons are employed, must be registered as a factory and made subject to the provisions of the act ; and that dairy and cheese factories are similarly treated, so that the act can be made to apply to women and boys milking cows." " (2) That the application of such an act to the agricultural industry is»vexatious and unnecessary, and that the Minister for Agriculture be respectfully asked to take steps during the session of Parliament to have the act so amended that it shall not apply to agricultural and pastoral operations."

'• (3) That a copy of tbe abovo resolutions be sent to the various agricultural and 2>astoral societies throughout the colony, with a request that they may co-operate in' tho matter."

Both mover and seconder spoke very strongly about the absurdity of such an act being made applicable to farmers, and the meeting was most emphatic in condemning the interference of Government in such matters as uncalled for and unwarranted. That the act as it stands at present does contemplate barns and woolsheds coming under its operation seems evident from clauuo 35 where chaffcutting and shearing sheds are specially mentioned, but the feeling was generally expressed that this must have occurred through an oversight, and that tho Hon.

J. M'Keilzie, as Minister for Agriculture, will take steps to have the act amended in accordance with the resolutions.

Arrangements were made for tree- planting in Tahuna Park on Arbor Day, in conjunction with the Recreation Committee, and sundry improvements to tho ground were sanctioned.