ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Southland Times, Issue 22488, 24 January 1935, Page 7

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

HORTICULTURAL TRADERS. GOVERNOR-GENERAL PRAISED. (Per United Press Association.) Dunedin, January 23. The annual conference of the New Zealand Horticultural Traders’ Association was opened this morning. The president, Mr H. Bennett, occupied the chair. There was a fairly large attendance of delegates. Prior to the commencement of the business the president extended a warm welcome to the delegates. In his address to members the president said he was pleased to say that the association had established the most cordial relationships with the Minister of Customs, the Minister of Agriculture and the officers of that department from Mr J. H. Campbell down and on occasion they had found the assistance of the Department of Agriculture to be exceptionally valuable. Mr T. Waugh congratulated the Dunedin members on the National Show, which, it was freely admitted, was the best ever staged in New Zealand. Reporting on behalf of the landscape gardening committee, Mr J. W. McLeod stated that business for the year had been about up to the average of the two previous years. A good number of small jobs had been done, but contracts of any size had been few and far between. The building subsidy granted by the Unemployment Board had helped to some extent to induce people to build, but prices, even for small jobs, had suffered since the depression.

The report was adopted. Mr Bennett was re-elected president for the coming year. Mr Lawson Burrough (Gore) was re-elected the South Island vice-president; Mi’ Arthur W. Just (Palmerston North) was elected North Island vice-president.

Mr W. McLeod introduced the Christchurch remit: “That the conference express its appreciation of the services rendered to horticulture by their Excellencies, Lord and Lady Bledisloe, while occupying the position of his Majesty’s representatives in New Zealand.”

Mr McLeod said that at the previous conference warm appreciation had been expressed to Lord and Lady Bledisloe of the interest faken by them in horticulture, but he thought that as they would shortly be leaving the Dominion the association should again convey to them its sincere thanks for their kindly patronage and interest. Mr Waugh said it had been decided as a tribute to his Excellency to ask him to accept the I oder Cup this year for his services to horticulture during his term as Governor-General of New Zealand.

The Dunedin remit, “That the Labour Department be asked to make it necessary for all seeds, plants and cut flowers covered under the Shops and Offices Act to be excluded from sight during extended hours for fruiterers’ was carried. In connection with the issue of florists’ certificates a remit in the following terms was passed: “That the conference views with approval the regulations for florists’ .-ertificates and requests the Institute of Horticulture to take early steps to bring the regulations and examinations into active .operation.” The interests of horticultural students was discussed at some length, the following remit being carried: “That in view of the large number of horticultural students and others desiring to take horticultural courses who are unable owing to distance, to attend regular classes, the Institute of Horticulture should approach the Education Department with a view to a correspondence course being established.”