FARMERS’ TOURS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3859, 28 February 1928, Page 17

FARMERS’ TOURS.

AN IMPERIAL MOVEMENT. INVITATION TO NEW ZEALAND FARMERS. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, January 10. Four or five years ago farmers’ tours to and from South Africa were started in connection with an organisation called the South African National Union, of which Leiutenant-colonel Sir Pieter C. van B. Stewart-Bain was the founder and is now chairman of the London centre. It is now considered that what has been so successfully carried out between South Africa and the Motherland should be extended to the rest of the Empire. A committee, representative of all the dominions, is being formed with a view to carrying this into effect. “ Already in the early stages,” said Sir Pieter StewartBain, “we have been assured by the private secretary of his Majesty the King that he is thoroughly interested in this work, and would like to be kept posted up as to how we progress. The Prince of Wales, through his private secretary, has gone further, and has told us that the movement has his hearty approval, and that in the sam e way as he met the South African farmers on their arrival in the United Kingdom this year for their tour, he will be quite prepared to meet the farmers again on the day the tour starts, at any function on which we may decide.” Ihe proposals for this year’s tour are as follows:—

(a) The formation of an Imperial Committee to work the organisation of such a tour, on the same lines as has been done by the South African .National Union for South Africa and the United Kingdom for the last 20 years. (b) Th 0 tour will be held in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and the Channel Islands from June 4 until August 17, viz., 75 days. Already tentative arrangements have been made with the various agricultural organisations throughout England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and the Channel Islands, for such touring. Farmers to be specially welcomed at the agricultural shows, and every facility gi'en for seeing British agriculture at close quarters. (c) The party will consist of at the '■eiy most, 150, made up as follows 25 “ Pukka ” farmers from each of the four l’ioo er dominions—Canada, Australia New Zealand, and South Africa— and another 25 from the smaller dominions— India,, Newfoundland, Rhodesia, etc.— and Crown colonies, plus 25 women associates.

The programme which is being arranged is a very attractive one, and will provide for ample time to be spent in London, and bigger centres, where questions of marketing which especially interest the overseas farmers can be discussed with the British handlers of produce. It is also hoped to include a visit to at least four of the bigger British shows, namely, th e Royal Show, the Highland Show, the great Yorkshire Show and the v\ elsh Show.

Towords the end of the tour also about a week is being set aside with a view to the holding of a conference, in which it is hoped British farmers will join the overseas visitors in discussing man v Imperial agricultural matters, and, it is hoped, lay the foundations of the formation of some kind of Imperial agricultural union. TOUR OF NEW ZEALAND IN 1929. It is also intended that the tour for this year should be a forerunner of tours in the future, yearly to other portions of the Empire, and already plans are in contemplation for. a visit to Australia and New Zealand in 1929; in all probability to be followed up by a similar tour to Canada in 1930, and to South Africa in 1931. These, however, are matters which wiil be thoroughly gone into at the congress to be held towards the end of the year.

The question of price is now being thoroughly g<>ne into by a small committee There is no idea to make it a pro-fit-making concern, but it i s intended that the trip should pay for itself, in the same way as all. future tours in connection with South Africa will be carried out. •P 10 * 0 ' vho are included in this tour will, have to make their own arrangemeiUs up to th e time of arrival in London. and when the tour starts on June 4 and again after the tour ends on August The provisional committee invites applications from farmers who desire to join tne tour, the address to which letters should be sent being: The South African National Union 237-238 Moorgat e Station Chambers, London, E.C. 2.