N.Z. FARMERS' UNION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2604, 10 February 1904, Page 19

N.Z. FARMERS' UNION.

OTAGO.

A meeting of the Palmerston branch was held on January 30. In the absence of the president, Mr T. Muir was voted to the chair. The- veterinary guarantee again came up for consideration, and gave rise to considerable discussion. Mr M'Callum was cf Cpinion that the proposed districts would be too -fe'rge, and' that the veterinary surgeon's services would not always be available when required. He aleo thought that farmers' subscriptions should be on a eliding scale, as under the proposed arrangement a farmer with a few head of stock had to contribute the same amount ac men with ten times the number. Eventually the matter was left over :n the meantime, and consideration of the petition in favour of optional freehold tenure for Crown tenants •was also deferred

The monthly meeting of the- Heddon Bush branch took plaoe on the Ist inst. Mr O. Olark presided. The discussion on the ■notion of which Mr Watson hadi given •notioe^ — ."That the maintenance of main. roads be defrayed out of the consolidated revenue," was postponed. — The Mutual Fire Insurance Bill was heartily approved, and it was decided to suggest to the provincial secretary that printed forms for entering the names of intending subscribers, value cf farm property, amount of insurance, etc., should be forwarded to the various branches. — A resolution carried at the Drummond meeting — "That the provincial district of •Southland be divided into two veterinary divisions, and that an effort be made to have a veterinary surgeon for each division," did not meet with favour, as it was thought that the subscription necessary to cover the salar) of another vet. would diminish the members and weaken the •union. The Mokoreta correspondent of the Wyndham Herald reports: — A meeting of the local branch wae held on the Ist inst. to meet Mr Patereon, organising secretary of the union. A good number were present, but many were not present who ought to have been, seeing that theie is so much to ibe gained by proper organisation. It is a pity if the small fee deter some from joining tho union, especially as they are reaping the benefits secured by the union. Mr Taylor occupied the chair, and after a few introductory remarks called on Mr Paterson to address the meeting. Mr Patereon spoke on the benefits secured to the farmera by the union since its inception, afterward dealing with various diseases in cattle — tuberculosis, Winton disease, etc. After a very interesting address, Mr Pat&reon invited questions to be asked, when a general discussion took place as to ragwort or Winton disease, Canadian thistle, and ■the best way to eradicate them, etc. Mr Taylor 'moved a hearty vote of thanks to Mr Paterson for the information supplied, and the very interesting address he had given, which was carried with applause. Mr Paterson, in acknowledging the vote, intimated that he would be back again in two months.

A meeting of the Waikaka Valley branch was held on the 2nd inst. Mr Smith presided The eecretary (Mr Gilchrist) reported that there were 58 members on the roll, all of whom had paid their subspriptions. He complimented members on their promptness and courtesy. He was -sending £23 lls 9d to the executive. Although the branch only kept Is 6d per member, they would have a credit balance at the end of the year. They A*ould be enabled from their credit to pay fthe expenses of two delegates to the conference. The report wp.s adopted on the 3notion of Messrs J. A. Johnston and M'Phail, Mr White remarking that the report was ve^ry favourable, and that, although members did not attend the meetings, they paid their subscriptions. — A circular of considerable- length was received' from the- provincial secretary, of which the following is a summary: — ''I have forwarded by parcel post a bundle of the pamphlets with appoint•me'nts for January and February, and it is hoped that you will endeavour to get one in the hands of every farmer in the district, ,-whetber member of the union or not. Should you require a further supply, I will fee happy to forward more. Pleaae let me oall your attention to some of the matters therein. The executive have decided that while Mr Patereon will do his best to give attendance on any urgent caee, it must be clearly understood" that this would have to be subject first of all to his keeping the appointments made, as in no case can these •be broken to allow of his attendance on, distant onsets. ... It has been 'aid down thr\t a<s all members who have pa.d their sub-criptions are entitled to ihe b^necic 'i cf his services, etc - tha only way to

secure a fair distribution of his services is to arrange so that he may vi=it every dietrict periodically, and it is so intended to arrange the programme that each branch shall, _it possible, secure four or five visits from him, during the year, and it is hoped that secretaries will arrange for Mr Pa tenon addressing meetings at the times of his visit. . . . You will ccc some extracts are given in the pamphlets forwarded from a letter of Mr J. G. W'kon, the president, re- the mutual fire insuranoe, and you are asked, as far as possible, to secure the names of all who are willing to became members of the association, which the act piovideu must be form id, and make out a list of such with the value of their properties, and the amount for which they would effect insurances. As soon as we can secure- >a copy of the act, further information will be collared and sent on to you. . . . You will se© by the advertisement in the pamphlet that a Servants' Registry Offij-e has been established in connection with the union, and 1 it is hoped members may find' the Labour Bureau an assistance in securing good servants. In regard to the position of guarantors who are 'iot members of the union having the benefit of Mr Paterson's -services, the executivehave deoided — 'That all guarantors not members may have tho benefit of the service of Mr Paterson on payment of 10s per annum ; but this is not to reliavc- them of any contingent liability under their guarantee-.'. . . . The annual conference is fixed to be h&ld on Friday, the 6th of May, at 11 o'clock a.m., and it is intended to have the annual dinner on the evening of that day, and it is urged that every branch =hall be represented by a delegate." The various matter.? referred to in the circular were briefly discussed, but it was eventually decided to hold over fuller consideration until Tuesday evening, 9th inst., when Mr Paterson will deliver an address.

A meeting of delegates from the various branches of the North Otago Union took place at Oamara on January 30. Three branches — Oamaru, Tokarahi, and Maheno — were represented Mr W. W. Wyhe, chairman of the Oamaru branch, stat-ed the object of the meeting, which was to secure a veterinary surgeon for the district. He said they would first rave to adopt one jf tw:o forms upon which to obtain *he signatures of guarantor^ — either tjiat provided by the Otago Provincial District Farmers' Union, or one specially prepared by their own union. In the course of a discussion which eufcued, the secretary (Mr SethSmith), after detailing at length the steps already taken in the matter of securing the services of a veterinary surgeon, said that, the question® to be decided were : Should the- Dunedin or North Otago guarantee form be used? If the latter, who in North Otago would take the guarantee from the guarantors and become guarantors them^lvos, because while the Dunedin centre had power to levy on the branches, the guarantors for a North Otago scheme would' have no suoh power. Should the services of a vet. be confined to guarantors only, and if so with or without additional fee? If not confined to the guarantors, should they be confined to members of the Farmers' Union, and a scale of charges be made for services to outsiders in the interests of the union's funds? Mr Seth-Smith further reported having interviewed Mr Stewart, the eecretary of the Otago Executive, and that gentleman had told him that he supposed if a sufficient guarantee were provided, tho Dunedin centre would station a veterinary surgeon in North Otago for the benefit of the district. Some discussion ensued, and eventually Mr Hughes moved— "That the Otago Provincial district form be used." Mr Dasler seconded the motion, remarking that the Tokarahi branch had' already adopted this form, and a number had signed it, and they could not back out. He had been instructed to vote for the Otago form. Mr Gemmell strongly opposed the motion, as he declined to approve of what a previous meeting had rejected. He moved, as an amendment — "That the Dunedin form be rejected," and eventually left the room. Mr Gardiner seconded the amendment, because he knew the difficulty there- would be in getting farmers to sign for a" veterinary surgeon unless he was stationed in the North Ota§o district. For hiin-self, he was quite willing to sign the Dunedin form. The Chairman said he was certain that if the required guarantee were obtained, a man would be stationed in North Otago. Mr Hughes' s motion was ultimately put and carried. On the motion of Mr Dasler, it was then de-c-ided that each branch secretary send the forms adopted to the committee of his branch, with a request to secure the required number of guarantors. Mr Hughes seconded this, and. it was carried. On the motion of the eecretory, it was decided that the conditions of the appointment be left in the hands of the Otago District Provincial Executive.