FARMERS’ UNION

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3840, 30 November 1936, Page 4

FARMERS’ UNION

TE AWAMUTU BRANCH. GENERAL MATTERS DEALT WITH. Mr A. T. Bryant, president, occupied the chair at the monthly executive meeting of Te Awamutu branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union on Friday evening. The secretary reported having received an acknowledgment from the Auckland provincial secretary asking that steps be taken to ensure that the Dominion president, Mr W. Mulholland, would be able to deliver an address in Te Awamutu when next he visited the Auckland province in the autumn. This matter will receive attention at the appropriate time. A pamphlet on Empire migration was received from the Dominion Settlement Association, Wellington, inviting support, and offering a speaker from the Association to deliver an address in Te Awamutu under the auspices of the Farmers’ Union. It was explained that the objective was to stimulate migration to New Zealand, being subsidised by the British Government. It was shown that in England there were .740 people per square mile; in New Zealand there were only 15, and in Australia two. Mr Crawley stated that the Waikato provincial executive, some time ago, set up a committee to confer with the dairy companies in the Waikato on the proposal. He added that the figures quoted were hardly a fair comparison. It was decided to obtain fuller information. Members agreed that New Zealand needed population, but the people likely to come would be unlikely to go out into the districts needing population. The chairman’s action in arranging for meetings at Te Rau-a-Moa, Oplirau, and Te Awamutu for Colonel S. J. E. Closey to speak on compensating prices for butter-fat was approved. Mr Bryant added that there seemed a desire for affiliation of the members of Te Rau-a-Moa Settlers’ Association with the Farmers’ Union. The president reported having attended with three other executive members a conference with the Waipa Master Carriers’ Association to discuss cartage charges. Figures had been produced and discussed, and he felt that on the face of it higher cartage charges were inevitable, but there was still room for improvement in the economics of the carrying business. One factor was the re-classification of roads in Waipa county, and another was development of zoning in various districts, to eliminate much of the overlapping that occurred at the present time. At times one firm’s lorries travelled for miles on one route to get a load, and at the same time another firm’s lorries took loads out and returned empty. This, he claimed, adds to the farmers’ costs. Then the drivers’ wages and conditions of employment were so high and restricted that, costs were abnormally high. He thought the Carriers’ Association should have sought the support of the Farmers’ Union in its efforts to get an Arbitration Court award especially for the country districts. The application that was made had failed. Supplementing these remarks, tho president said it had been stated farmers in one other district had arranged with carriers to still pay on the old basis until there is a pronouncement by the Minister of Labour to the wages and conditions imposed. This led to a general discussion, in which it was stated that it is illegal for anybody to drive a motor vehicle for more than eleven hours continuously; also that nobody can drive a car after eleven hours' work. Thus no farmer could drive into town at night after a full day’s work. Mi- W. J. Hodgson said it real economy in transport is to be obtained it will be necessary to go into the question of capitalisation of carriers’ enterprise, and probably -to the stage of having centralisation of goods at one depot. He thought a recommendation be forwarded to the Waikato provincial executive that it get into touch with the South Auckland Carriers' Association with the object ot arriving at agreement. Tlie latest award was made entirely for city conditions, and many provisions were entirely unsuitable to rural conditions. He added that the carriers’ costs would be a very valuable point in the Union’s claims to compensating prices for butter fat. The two organisations could work along together in a friendly way. The Waikato executive could arrange conferences, and agreement would be mutually beneficial. It was suggested that an effort might be made to induce the Transport Licensing Authority, Mr E. J. Phelan, to attend a conference. This brought forth the comment that Mr Phelan was a very keen, incisive fair-minded administrator. Discussion veered to side issues, including nationalisation and Socialism. The recommendation to the Waikato executive was adopted.