N.Z. FARMERS' UNION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2803, 4 December 1907, Page 21

N.Z. FARMERS' UNION.

INTERVIEW WITH MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT. A meeting of a sub-committee of the Executive of the Otago Provincial Council of the New Zealand Farmers' Union was h*ld in the office of the secretary (Mr Hugh Mitchell) on Nov. 29; present— Messrs H. w Buokland (Waikouaiti, in the chair), J. Christie (Warepa); and A. Fraser (LawTence). An apology for non-attendance warn- received from Mr D. Ross (Palmerston). The object of the meeting was to confer with members of Parliament on a number of matters affecting the interests of farmers. Messrs J. F. Arnold, A. R. Barclay, J. Allen, and T. X, Sidey, M.P.'s, were in attendance. Mr D. Reid, M.P., wrote apologising for his absence. Mr Buckla"nd said the sub-committee now to bring tho question before the members in the hope that they would in turn bring them under the notice of the Minister of Lands and Agriculture with some effect. The manufacture of calcium nitrate was a most important matter affecting, the" agricultural - industry to-day. Calcium nitrate would play a great part in . agriculture if it could be "manufactured on a. commercial basis. At present the estimate for the establishment of a plant — something like £350,000— put the thing out of consideration at once. It was desired now to bring the question before the Minister, so that he might keep a watch on - whatever was done in the matter in America, and that developments there might be at once taken advantage of in New Zealand. This matter was to be brought before the Hon. Mr M'Nab by a deputation on Monday. Then, hares ought to be railed at the same rate as rabbits. It was also desired that the protection of seagulls should be removed in the country, districts owing to the serious injury they inflicted on lambs end weakly ewea. The necessity for a siding at Duke's road (Taieri) and a loading-bank at Toiro (near Balolutha) was also referred to. It was desired, too, that hand-trucks should be provided at the smaller country stations for the handling of goods. The speaker also touched on the obstacle placed in the way of the poultry industry owing to the ( high tariff recently put on bone-crushers, jfrit-grinders, and other ironwork used by fowl-keepers. It was possible to make inoubatoro J" n the Dominion, but no one here 2nade grit-grindere or bone-crushers. Mr Christie spoke of the necessity of a loading-bank at Toiro. Failing that, the yard should be widened. Mr Fraser referred to the necessity of a siding at Duke's road, and supported Mr Buckland in' the other matters he had spoken upon.' ' Mr J. Allen, M.P., said he had no doubt *he Minister of Agriculture would agree to the request that he should watch developments in the calcium nitrate manufacture in America. The duty on grit-grinders, he -thought, would have to remain. It was not fikely that the Government would touch another tariff for some time to come. As

tor tne seaguLs, he -hoped the protection to seagulls on the coast -would be retained, though it might be advisable to remove it inland. He did not see why hares should not be carried as cheaply as rabbits. O£ course, it was possible that if every encouragement was given to the destruction of hares it might lead to their.' extermination, and the Farmers' Union might not want tbat^ Mr Buckland said the hares were very destructive in the country; they did three times the damage *that the rabbits did. There were tens of thousands of them at Middlemarch to-day. Mr Arnold, M.P., expressed his pleasure at meeting a deputation from the Farmers' Union. The union appaiently recognised that the interests of the town and the country must run side by side. He expressed his concurrence with the other requests. Such matters as sidings were really for the -local member to deal with. He believed that the seagulls did great injury in the central districts; and, that being so, the farmer should have the right to destroy them, especially with the gun, tho noise of which would drive the remainder away from the locality. This would lead to less destruction. Mr Sidoy, M.P., also promised his support to the requests put before the members. He was pleased to "see that the wants of the farmers were really so few. The matter of destroying seagulls presented a difficulty. Seagulls could not be protected on the coast and destroyed in the interior. At the same time, he recognised the necessity of dealing with the nuisance with a firm hand in the country districts. Mr Barclay M.P., said the demands of the union were both modest and moderate. He would be pleased to impress on - tha Minister and the department the importance of calcium nitrate" manufacture, though he had -no doubt the matter had not escaped their attention. He would be agreeable to, allowing seagulls to -be destroyed inland, but if the farmers were to destroy all the seagulls that went inland there would be none left on the shore. He viewed favourably the other matters mentioned by Mr Buckland. As for the duty on grit-grinders, it might bo possible to get a decision from the Minister of Customs that would assist the fowl-keepers. Mr Buckland thanked the members for their attendance.