FARMERS' UNION.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 47, 20 February 1912, Page 3

FARMERS' UNION.

The following letters'.'were dealt with at llto last ineetihg ol the .Tara aaki executive of the Fanners’ t n: on Hand!ins f* Manures. The Duuoxlin Stock Agents am Wool brokers’ Association fonvardet a copv of a h/tier it It a cl sent to tin Minister for Labour re .the domain of the Vvatersfde Workers’ Union tlia. iuau.nres should ho packed iu paper lined Itajifs otherwise they would no handle them. The letter was as i'ol “ vl.p •' Waterside Workers’ Unim have jiotiiied importers .of manures i .VfV-Zealand that tluy will not hence forth handle goods oi this class ua !,ciV! they are packed in paper-liuet Sags, and ! hog to lining the inattei to \onr notice in the hope that yon: department can give the importer; s'iuie .help in resisting this demand it is obvious that to comply with wha the union asks will involve very eon siderahle trouble and expense to iner chants, and naturally tins will be passed on to the fanners who use the fertilisers. The .materials out of which manures are made have in: some years past been appreciating in price, and the cost of the anauui'actur-

ed article is now so high that it is feared that any further increase wdl lead to a serious diminution in the use of Artificial fertilisers. This would be a great calamity, not only to the agricultural and pastoral interests or the Dominion, but to the country as a whole, for, as lias •often been pointed out, we are sending out of the country iu the shape of frozen .meal and in other forms an enormous quantity of tin' elements which arc Required for plant food, and if this material is not replaced by •imports of ■these elements in the form of artificial manures, the country must gradually become impoverished. It is'-evident, therefore, that anything tending to hamper the manure industry must be detrimental to the prosperity of the Dominion. On this ground alone my association would consider it necessary to tight against the restriction

that the union seeks to impose upon them, but its .members feel also that to comply with the wish.es of the union would 'be to cause inconvenience to themselves and their farmer clients to no end, since they are convinced that any trouble there may be with, dust from manures being discharged from ships will not die prevented by the measure proposed. The paperlining of the bags is certain to split and become torn with hooks/and my association sees no reason to expect that its employment will cause any abatement of flic dust nuisance, which, after all, is riot a-serious one. fn those circumstances I venture to bring the matter before you, and I shall bo .much •obliged if you will advise me whether you can take or suggest any steps towards the withdrawal of the demand that the union has made. It would be a pity if a matter of this kind wore to become, the occasion for a strike, and I am afraid that such a termination of the difference is not an unlikely one.” / Deferential Railway Frights,' The Auckland Provincial Executive of the X.Z. Farmers’ Union wrote asking the co-operation of this executive in its endeavour to,’ have removed the existing deferential railnay freights. It also enclosed a copy of a letter from the Minister >of Railways on the matter which’ was as follows: "With reference to your letter regarding the deferential rates ruling on the Xcw Zealand ,railways, in respect to local and imported products, I have the honour to inform "on that with a view to assisting the development of the country .and help!rig to establish local industries to provide employment for the -artisans and -other classes of skilled .labour, the Government many years ago adopted the policy of charging Xcw Zealand, natural products and articles locally .manufactured at a lower rate than the j imported articles. That ibis course was wise is shown hy tire extent of the local industries to-day, and the general condition of the people of the Dominion. It is .not considered that the circumstances arc such as to warrant any departure from a policy which has proved beneficial iu the past or that the adoption of the suggestion of your union would commend itself tp the general community, and I regret that after giving the matter full .-consideration I caiinot see my way to make'any .alteration in the existing tariff charges.”