A. AND P.

Southland Times, Issue 20497, 28 May 1928, Page 4

A. AND P.

THE GORE ASSOCIATION. MONTHLY COMMITTEE MEETING. , (From Our Correspondent.) The monthly meeting of the Gore A. and P. Association’s Committee was attended by Messrs E. R. Bowmar (chairman), D. Dickie, S. G. Inder, H. Mclntyre, H. P. Mclntyre, G. McKay, A. J. Cameron, G. Wraytt, G. Smith, A. S. Fleming J Bruce, R. L. Byars, Henry Smith, T. Logan, J. Stevenson, R. A. Edwards, J. S. White, R. K. Dodds, R. H. Dickie, H. Y. Dickie, F. Trapski, P. S. Cullen and J. Davis. CORRESPONDENCE. The secretary of the Royal Agricultural Society forwarded a copy of the remits to come before the annual conference of the society.—Received. The secretary of the Otago A. and P. Association advised that the suggestion to hold a conference during the Winter Show week at Dunedin had apparently not appealed to kindred associations and the committee had reluctantly decided to abandon holding the conference.—Received. The Otago Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals wrote seeking the association’s support to the Hon. G. M. Thomson’s Bill for the suppression of shooting live birds from traps, and also to express approval of the compulsory dehorning oi cattle with the exception of stud stock. —It was decided to support the society in both matters and to recommend that in the case of stud cattle not dehorned they should be trucked separately or tied up. EDUCATION LEASES. Mr Cameron reported that at a meeting of education endowment leaseholders at Gore on Tuesday it was decided to seek the support of the Gore A. and P. Association in an application to the Government for the granting of a longer tenure, with the right to acquire the freehold to the occupiers of these lands. Mr Stevenson moved that the association support the application, and stated that they had only to look at freehold and leasehold land side by side. One was farmed and the other neglected. Mr Mclntyre said that in his opinion the question was too big a one for the meeting to support without giving it due consideration. In most cases the holders of these leases w'ere called upon to pay only a very nominal rent and it did not appear to him that they would be justified in expecting to be allowed to continue to occupy the land for an indefinite period an such terms. When the lease expired others should be given an opportunity of obtaining the lease. Mr Bruce seconded the motion pro forma. Mr Bowmar said that from an agricultural point of view the freehold was much more desirable than the leasehold. It was not likely that any farmer holding land under a short lease would go to the trouble and expense of improving his land if he knew that at the expiry of the lease he was going to be penalized for his own improvements. The granting of the freehold or the extension of the tenure to the holders of large pastoral runs was, however, quite a different matter and he for one would not feel inclined to do anything which would enable these lands to be held indefinitely at such a cheap rate. Mr Cameron said that they were not interested in pastoral runs apart from the small runs which were only large enough to return sufficient for the support of a family. In the majority of cases small grazing runs were partly cultivated, and although the holders spent a considerable amount on improvements they did not receive anything like an adequate allowance for the work done; also at the expiry of their lease they ran the risk of being run off their properties. In reply to Mr Inder, Mr Cameron stated that the right to the freehold would be acquired at a re-valuation. Mr D. Dickie inquired whether it would be possible to draw a hard and fast line between small and large grazing runs. Mr Cameron said that all educational endowment leases were included, but so far as he knew there were few, if any, of the larger pastoral runs affected. Mr Inder moved as an amendment that the matter be held over until the next meeting. Mr Hugh Mclntyre seconded the amendment, which was carried.