PRODUCER’S NEEDS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 671, 24 May 1929, Page 6

PRODUCER’S NEEDS

GENERAL QUESTIONS CONFERENCE DECISIONS During yesterday afternoon and today the Auckland Farmers’ Union Conference, sitting at Auckland, discussed a variety of subjects, and expressed its views in the passage of a list of remits. A remit from Waikato asked that the conference should support the council system of electing the producers’ representatives upon the Dairy Control Board. Mr. J. Bruce and Mr. H. L. Watkins spoke for the remit, which was carried. A remit from the Waikato asking that the Farmers’ Union take immediate action to obtain the introduction of a Government grading system for export pigs on similar lines to the dairy grading scheme was lost. MILK TESTING Mr. J. M. Dawson, on behalf of the Bay of Islands, moved that the Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. G. W. Forbes, be urged to endeavour to obtain a more accurate and reliable system of cream and milk testing—if necessary, by the offer of a monetary reward. Out-of-date systems of testing were criticised by Mr. Dawson. He thought that the Department of Agriculture should he asked to reward anyone who could provide a satisfactory testing machine, to supplant the obsolete available means of testing. Mr. A. McL. Wright seconded. Mr. S. Petrie suggested that the question should be referred to the Massey Agriculture College for report. Mr. A. N. Macky thought that the remit was not constructive and would be better left alone. The remit was defeated. MEMBERS’ SALARIES A remit from Marohemo branch: That the conference should oppose any increase in the honoraria of members of Parliament, and a suggestion from Waikato that the conference should strongly oppose suggested increasing of the salaries of members of Parliament, were carried unanimously. . ROAD WORK A remit from the Waiuku branch, that work in counties that have an efficient record should in all cases be done by the councils who have the organisation, plant, etc., instead of the Main Highways Board undertaking it, was carried. An Opotiki remit asked that the Farmers’ Union, as representing the farmers of the Dominion, should be consulted in the matter of the liberation of imported game or animals, as to whether such imported game or animals it is intended to liberate were likely to be destructive in the localities in which it was contemplated they should be liberated. Speakers mentioned depredations of imported game, and approved the remit. The remit was carried. RELIEF WORKS . „ An executive remit was that the conference should deplore the present necessity for unemployment relief works,, hut considers that so long as the co-operative contract system is applied to these as to standard works, the same schedule of piece work rates should apply and thus remove any suggestion that the unemployment problem is being used to depress the standard of living of the wage-earners. Mr. C. C. Munro spoke in favour of the remit and Mr. B. McConaughie seconded. Mr. R. H. Feisst said that the principle in the remit was one of the most important the conference had been called on to consider. “There is no doubt that heavy expenditure on relief works is increasing our debt,” Mr. Feisst said. “By all means employ the men needing relief. No man will give his best services if he Is in a livelihood in which lie is not receiving sufficient for his best services. It is only human nature.” Mr. Feisst, seconded by Mr. Barrowclough, moved as an amendment to the remit the following suggestion from Waikato:— “That this conference should be strongly of opinion that the payment of standard wages upon relief works is not in the true interests of the Dominion or the workers themselves, as the inevitable effect must be to still further artificially attract capital and labour from the exporting primary industries.” The amendment was lost and the remit was carried.