FARMERS’ UNION ACTIVITIES

Taranaki Daily News, 21 February 1933, Page 2

FARMERS’ UNION ACTIVITIES

BRANCH MEETING AT OAKURA. VARIOUS MATTERS DISCUSSED. There was an attendance of about 25 at the monthly meeting of the Oakura-Koru-Tataraimaka branch of the Farmers’ Union, which was held at Oakura on Saturday night. Mr. C. J. Harris, the president, occupied the chair. The chairman gave an outline of his views at the executive meeting. A discussion ensued on the question of the .field competitions for the coming season. It was decided to conduct the competitions on the same lines as last year, the entry fee being again fixed at Is. Eighteen entries were taken in the roommangolds 1, swedes 2, haystacks 8, ensilage (concrete silos) 3, earth pits 3, and hillside stacks 2.

The question of debarring the export of second grade and whey butter to the British market was discussed at length, a motion to that effect being proposed by the chairman and seconded pro forma by Mr. L. Gray. The meeting carried an amendment proposed by Mr. L. Brown and seconded by Mr. A. Drake to the effect that while the meeting appreciated the fact that the export of such butter was detrimental to the sale of finest and first grade creamery butter in the British market, in view of the fact that the Control Board has the matter in hand the meeting took no action.

The question of raising the penalty on second grade cream was brought forward by the chairman with a view to improving the quality of the raw material delivered at the factories. The meeting decided to take no action. Mr. Hill Motion gave some information on the way in which grading was carried out in England and Scotland, showing the different methods used *there. He also gave an outline of some of the difficulties met with by the farmers theirei He spoke on various matters in connection with the cow, showing that in many cases the quality of the produce could be traced back to the farm.