AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144776, 4 September 1915, Page 4

AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.

MEETING OF COMMITTEE. A meting of the general committee of the Taranaki Agricultural Society was held on Friday evening, Mr. J. S. Connett (president) occupying the chair. There was a good attendance. It was resolved to forward a letter of sympathy to tho relatives of Mr. Geo. white, who is seriously ill, and to express tho hope that he would soon recover. A vote of sympathy with Mr. H. King in his recent bereavement was passed. The president briefly reported on the result of the appeal to dairy factory suppliers. Ho expected to have attended all tho meetings by the date of the annual meeting. So far he was fairly well satisfied with tho results ns regarded membership, but the donations had been somewhat disappointing. A statement of accounts was received in connection with tho exchange with the Defence Department, of the Coronation Hall for land at Waiwakaiho. The society had received a cheque of £29 7s 6d on the transaction. The president stated that the position was that the society now owned six sections at Germain Square, and the two annexes, as well as the site at Waiwakaiho of 10) acres, free of mortgage, and had a debit balance of about £6OO. Their assets were estimated at £2500. The balance showed that there had been a loss of £2OO on the autumn show, and a profit of £l3O on the winter, show.

The New Zealand Council of Agriculture forwarded a copy of a resolution passed at the last conference, to 'the effect that local agricultural committees be appointed by county councils throughout the Dominion, and that tho Department of Agriculture be asked to make use of the services ;of such committees in experimental and other agriculture, instructional and development works. The cliairman stated that the scheme he had ' outlined to. dairy companies, in asking them to appoint representatives to tho committee, carried out the idea suggested. It would establish the link that had been missing in tho past. He thought that it was the duty of agricultural societies rather than county councils to form such sub-cora-mittees. The New Zealand Council of Agriculture notified favourable replies had beerP received from both the Minister of Public Works and Minister of Labour to the resolution passed at tho annual conference, asking that in view of the large number of men who had gone to the war, and the very probable large ■harvest; there would be a shortage of farm labour, and that tho Government be asked if they would consider the slackening off of public works to enable a supply of labour being available for the harvest. The agricultural society was therefore asked to forward definite information in regard to the amount ot labour required in different localities. Tho chairman statcjl that tho Mayor of New Plymouth had taken the matter in hand some time ago, and had formed a patriotic committee, to whom it was resolved to forward tho 'Circular. All tho members secured by the pro-, sident and Mr. F. Watson at various factory meetings were elected, with the addition of Messrs. A. D. Stanley (Stratford), S. Hooker and Reube. A sub-committee, consisting of the president, Messrs. F. Watson and J. It. Hill, was set up to go into tho matter of royalty on stone at the Waiwakaiho property.