THE FARMERS’ UNION.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LX, Issue 143772, 22 April 1912, Page 3

THE FARMERS’ UNION.

ADDRESS AT ASHBURTON. Per Press Association. ASHBURTON, April 2. In moving the adoption of the report and balance sheet at the annual meeting of the Ashburton branch- of the Farmers’' Union this afternoon, the chairman (Mr. G. W. Leadley) congratulated the farming community on the position they found' themselves in ■ that day, after the close of another year. The position was fairly satisfactory, and this could not be said at the same time last year, when the failure of the crops and the scarcity i of feed made the position of the farmer , a very trying one. When' spring came' they . were carrying insufficient i stock to consume the feed, and this was responsible for light wool clips, j Tjie season just ended had, however, been very successful, and. the plains farmer had never, had a year like it. The yields of grain had been phenomenal. The labour question was again before them, and he referred to it because of an article that had appeared in the Guardian calling attention to .bad workmanship in building stacks. What was said was quite true, and what was worse than that the same thing; applied to other branches of farming ; work. He had that morning seen some I ploughing that was disgraceful. It seemed that men had lost pride in their work, and with regard to stacking they could not get that efficiency' and know- . ledge in a workman that was necessary. He knew a man of 75 years of age who hajJ had to build his own stack ; because hqffoould not get a competent man to do the work. It was not the farmers’ fault that the work- was done in such a perfunctory way. The prices of staple products were good, and there were prospects,, with, a probability of Continental markets being thrown open of even better prices. • With regard to dairying, the outlook was distinctly good, and he believed that: in'a short time they would find more farmers devoting their attention to dairying. Speaking of the political situation, :Mr. Leadley said that he did not think it was quite fair that the new Ministry should have been subjected to so mucin carping criticism as had been 'levelled at it: He salt no reason for the sneers at the Hon. Thomas Mackenzie, who, he thought, should be commended, for his courage in stepping into the breach'. The same things . that were being said of him had beenf said of Mr. Seddon, who had falsified all statements -made againat him. One thing stood out preeminently i and that was the maintenance of the standard of exports. The fact that our exports had fallen away by £1,000,000 called for serious attention. Another matter to be considered was the large proportion of people who lived in towns, instead of nelping to fructify the land.