FARMERS’ UNION TOPICS

Taranaki Daily News, 6 September 1929, Page 6

FARMERS’ UNION TOPICS

PROTEST AGAINST TAX PROPOSALS

PREVALENCE OF CAR THEFTS.

The South Taranaki Provincial Executive of the Farmers’ Union met yesterday at Hawera. Present: Messrs. E. J. Betts (chairman), W. E. Carter, H. I. Crocker, H. Trush, W. T. Seed, H. Hodge, H. J. Berry, E. J. Booth, W. H. Reynolds, J. A. Pettigrew, T. J. Allom and J. Cocker. Mr. Berry was welcomed by the chairman on taking his scat as a member of the executive. Mr. S. G. Smith, M.P., wrote acknowledging the executive’s letter on the subject of taxation and promising to give it attention. Mr. W. J. Polson, M.P., Dominion president of the union, also wrote, thanking the executive for its expression of views concerning, taxation. (The letter was published in the Daily News on August 24). The chairman reported that Mr Cocker and himself had attended the recent taxation conference at Wellington and he regarded it as the most representative meeting he* had seen. Mr. Betts read the resolutions carried by the conference. . Mr. Cocker said that the Prime Minister’s objection to the holding of oiganised meetings was remarkable. He wanted the farmers to sit still and take his proposals . lying down. Regarding the union’s ideas on settlement Mr. Cocker said that he had proposed at the conference that the productive value oi land should oe made the basis of taxation, for it was realised that the present system of valuation was very unfair. Cases had ..been quoted in which twosheep country had been valued at fiom £3 to £7, and taxation based on such valuations obviously penalised men holding over-valued properties. Nearly all the best breeders of cattle and sheep had been wealthy men, and it was known that they could not have benefited the country as they had done if they had not great resources. Such men had held considerable areas of land, and n they had been compelled by penal taxes to give up .their land they could not have been the national benefactors they bad been. Concerning the views Oi Mr. Polson on the taxation proposals Mr. Cocker said -that members would declare, their attitude when they voted on the taxation measure. It would be well to wait until the votes were given before expressing anv opinion as to the position taken up by Mr. Polson and other Independent members. A letter was received from the Dominion secretary asking for details o cases in which the proposed super-tax on land would weigh heavily on farmers and of hardship that would be inflicted by the reduction of the mortgage exemption from £lO,OOO to £5OOO. The chairman stated that he was privately making inquiries, with a view to obtaining the required information . The secretary reported that inquiries had been made concerning a matte mentioned at the previous meeting, a member having reported that an ins anco company had refused 0 < ' P claim for compensation from a W 1 der the age of 14 who had met with an accident while working for an An oninion had been obtained fiom the lion’s solicitors, who stated that there was no legislative restriction in regard to the age of workers who could be covered by insurance, but there was nothin to prevent a company making’its own provisions in regard to age. A woike employed by a relative was not covered by insurance on the ground of being < relative' unless ho was specially mentioned in the policy. The prevalence of car stealing was mentioned by Mr. Cocker, who said that at Hawera and'Eltham on four consecutive nights recently attempts had been made to steal six cars, and four actually had been taken. Unfortunately when, motor-car thieves came before the Magistrates they were treated very leniently. Fines- of £2, £3 or £5 were imposed, and the maximum penalty was three months’ imprisonment. He thought the executive should protest against the small fines, which were not a° deterrent, and should endeavour to bring about an alteration. Ho moved that the executive send a protest to the Justice Department against the .inadequacy of the penalties imposed on motor thieves and urge that the stealing of a car bo made a criminal offence. Tho motion, seconded by the chairman, was carried.

WOMEN ON HOSPITAL BOARDS. The importance of women having representation on hospital boards by members of their own sex was stressed at a meetin £»■ of the Hawera branch of the women’s 'division of the Farmers’ Union yesterday. It was mentioned that a vacancy on the Hawera Hospital Boaid had been created by the death of Mr. G. W. Tayler, the Eltham Borough Council’s representative, and after a lengthy discussion it was decided to suggest to the Eltham Borough Council. that Mrs. W. E. Carter should be appointed to fill the vacancy. In making the suggestion Mrs. E. K. Cameron said- that the Department of Health and hospital matrons and nurses considered that a woman board member was almost a necessity. Situations often arose in the management of hospital affairs in which matrons felt diffident in approaching male members of the board with. In Christchurch, she said, Mrs. J. McCombs, wife of the member for Lyttelton, was a member of the hospital board and was one of its most valued members. She had performed many tasks and solved many difficulties which the men did not understand. Interviewed by a News representative, Mr. W. G. Simpson, a member of the Hawera Hospital Board, said he was very much in favour of women board members. He would welcome a lady of the calibre of Mrs. Carter and was sure her services would be an acquisition to the board. There were many occasions when a feminine point of view would be acceptable to board members, and such would undoubtedly be an assistance in carrying out hospital administration.