FARMERS UNION CONFERS

Taranaki Daily News, 24 July 1929, Page 11

FARMERS UNION CONFERS

IMPROVEMENT OF PASTURES PRIMARY PRODUCERS’ INTERESTS. FINANCE QUESTIONS DISCUSSED. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The Dominion conference of the Farmers’ Union was opened this morning by the Hon. G. W. Forbes (Minister of Agriculture and of Lands). The delegates were addressed also by the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates and the Hon. J. G. Cobbe. Mr. Forbes dealt crisply with pasture lands improvement and increased production, dwelling on the great advance made in the past ten years and saying that no one could tell the future. There were estimated to be fully 6,000,000 acres in New Zealand that could be topdressed. Last year 2,250,000 acres were top-dressed. The conference supported the Counties’ Association in its endeavours to hold a conference bf all contributing bodies to discuss the basis of taxation and all maters connected with hospital administration.

The holding of all local body elections on the same day was advocated.

The conference recommended that electric power boards be compelled to publish balance-sheets as well as their profit and loss accounts.

That loans to county councils of £lOOO and under be free from the jurisdiction of the loans board was recommended. In reference to a remit advocating abolition of the necessity for registering fire arms and urging the advisability of the free purchase ot them and ammunition, a letter from the Minister of Justice stated the matter was receiving serious departmental consideration. The remit that preference clauses in future land ballots should be eliminated, thus enabling young men brought up on farms to stand an equal chance with others was stated by the Minister of Lands to be now under consideration. Representations will be made to the Government to revert to the previous rates of interest on current accounts for returned soldiers.

The Dominion executive of the union to-night favoured a remit, that the Government should be asked to call an industrial conference again. It was recommended that the Industrial Court and Arbitration Act should be so amended as to make provision not only for compulsory conciliation but also for optional arbitration.

A remit was passed that the primary producers should be allowed to place evidence before the Arbitration Court during the hearing of any disputes having a close bearing upon primary industries.

The conference expressed willingness to co-operate whole-heartedly in arranging for a fitting memorial to the late Sir James Wilson, Bulls.

A remit that the principle of taxing the divisible surplus of companies should bo abolished was reaffirmed.

Tlie union opposed any interference with the trading powers of electric power boards by the Government.