WAIKOIKOI.

Otago Witness, Issue 2664, 5 April 1905, Page 35

WAIKOIKOI.

April 3. — T?ine weather for the past few weeks ripened the crops very fast, and, as a conse^ <juence. farmers are now busy cutting. On the whole the crops look well, and when threshed it is anticipated that the yields will "be from very fair ±o good. Last week heavy ■winds blew out a. good deal of grain fionx the growing crops, and caused a big fall in stocks, and in some paddocks almost every stook was laid low.

Potato Disease. — The disease has not yet made its appearance in tbis^district ao> far as I know. Inquiries mad© froni~ several elecited the fact that their crops- have not been, attacked.

Farmers' Union. — A meeting of the Waikoi£oi branch of the tmion was held on March 25, Mr G. W. Cunningham (president) in the chair. The minutes of the t>revious meeting were readl md confirmed, and the correspondence received was dealt with. On the subject of mutual fire ; 'i?urancft. Mr R, Simmers said he felt satisfied that the scheme would be a success. He showed that it had been such a success in America that the rate of insurance Lad/ beeai reduced to 4s per £100. He felt that by this scheme of insurance farmers would feel that the reduced! rates meant that they were not paying for fire risks in the larger towns — a ihing! they had been doing for a long time. ■Ho said that farmers should support the scheme, and induce others to do so too, for rthe moire they insured tho better chance there •would be of getting the rates gradually reduced. Mr Cunningham said that farmers should be as loyal as possible to the scheme. A memo, ■was received from the secretary of the Tapanui ."branch re subscriptions towards a fund for "the appointing of a provincial organiser. It ' vtsls •decided to hold over the matter till next meeting. A circular re a graduated scale of levies was not discussed, but will be brought up again at next meeting. A fliscussion took place on the commission charged by auctioneers on" the sale of horses, and the general opinion ■was that the present charges were too high. ISx B. Simmers explained that the commission

charged on the sale of horses at Timaru is 2A per cent. Mr E. M'Donald, secretary of the biancii, received •' heaTty vote of thanks for his efforts in gathering in the subscriptions.