FARMERS’ UNION.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 December 1923, Page 7

FARMERS’ UNION.

NORTH TARANAKI ‘SUB-PROVINCE. Says last week’s issue of the Farmers’ Union Advocate:— The Dominion organiser paid a visit to North Taranaki at the beginning of last May, and enrolled some 300 new members, but in many cases branches were not properly formed, and branch officials were not appointed. Much dissatisfaction has been expressed all over North Taranaki at the unsatisfactory state in which the members were left; nothing had been done for them except to relieve them of their subscription. Furthermore, owing to the dilatoriness of the Taranaki Provincial Office, cheques for the payment of branch capitation which had been forwarded by the head office in May and June were not distributed to the branches concerned. To put the position mildly, the name of the Farmers’ Union was in bad odour throughout North Taranaki. Last week the Dominion Secretary paid a visit to New Plymouth to rectifymatters, and the result of his visit has been the formation of a sub-provincial executive. The officials of this executive are: —President, Mr. A. S. Hicks (Tikorangi)-; vice-presidents, Messrs. Trimble (Inglewood) and Kurth (Omata) ; treasurer, Mr. A. E. Washer (New Plymouth); sub-provincial secretary, Mr. S. Ogle junr. (Bell Block); members, Messrs. Donald (Warea), Hoskin (Bell Block), Herbert (Urenui), Vickers (Omata) and Lepper (Lepperton). This should be one of the strongest Farmers’ Union centres in the Dominion, and it is the intention of the sub-pro-vincial executive to ask the next Dominion Executive to grant them the full status of the province, so that they may conduct their own business direct. The members present at the above meeting declared that geographically the northern branches were too far away from the provincial office at Hawera, and that the northern half of the province had little in common with the southern half. Already the visit of the Dominion secretary has been felt, as new life and interest are now being evinced in the doings of the Union around New Plymouth.