Farmers’ Union Notes.

Southland Times, Issue 19553, 6 May 1905, Page 2 (Supplement)

Farmers’ Union Notes.

CENTRE BUSH BRANCH

The annual meeting was held on the 29th April, Mr lames Swale presiding. Mr Giller was dect.ecl President for the'ensuing }efir, Mr M. Hishon vice-president, find Mr McDonald secretary, the c,jmm:itee for the year being Messrs J. McKay, W. Cox, J. Swale, Henderson and ‘Rouse.

The meeting was in favour . 1 retaining Mr Paterson as veterinary adviser. Mr S. Hunter, r.rgr.rtiser, was present and gave a brief uiemint of the Union’s endeavours. II > drew attention to one of the main p’anks in the Union platform, namely, taxation only for revenue purposes, and showed that taxation levied for the sole purpose of creating a few factories in the towns of New Zealand was against the best interests of the colony, and no class should oppose such a- form of taxation .mce- than farmers. Farmers had io iwrept London prices practically for their produce, but their necessities could not be bought at London prices plus the transport, for they hal also to pay in most cases the .bi’y of 25 per cent., which sometimes kept English manufacturers out and raised the price of the local article one quarter above what it should e<tually cost. Thus the revenue was not benefited but the factories were at the expense of the agriculturists, and those depending thereon would certainly form three-quarters of the population. There was a grnw’ng tendency in the cities for more protection, and the country settlers should stick to their Union end do their best to protect their interests. For an agricultural country such as this the more freedom there was in the interchange of commodities with other countries the better for it. The usual votes of thanks c< i'< hided the meeting.