FARMERS' UNION

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 11689, 24 February 1902, Page 3

FARMERS' UNION

A meeting of the Executive and Committee oi the South Canterbury brancu oi tne Farmers' Union, convened lor Saturday afternoon, was very poorly attended. There were present Messrs Acton (in the chair), Verity, Wilson, O'Driscoll, and Maslin. The secretary reported tliat a branch had been established at Temuka. with a strong committee, but he had had no official communication from them. He wished that all secretaries would notify him of their appointment, so that he could send them any communications of general interest to the branches.

Mr Actcn .said that several people of Temuka and Orari had spoken to iiim, told him they had put down their names as members, and had never heard any more about the matter; and did; not know whether thev were members or not.

Mr Maslin said one of the subjects for consideration was that of small birds. A suggestion had been made that further legislation was necessary, to obtain concerted and compulsory action. It would be for this Executive to endorse that suggestion or not.

Mr Verity did not see how combined action could be enforced, and therefore did not see how legislation could help them. Mr Maslin said a better poison was needed, and he was inclined to believe that salt, which kills fowls easily, would kill the small birds too. It could be made up into pellets with pollard. After some general discussion it was resolved—" That this Executive strongly supports any legislation that will give extended powers to local bodies to ensure systematic destruction af small birds." The idea approved by the meeting was that the extended legislation should be in the direction of giving local bodies power to enter npon private lands for the purpose of laying poison. Mr Maslin brought up the question of railway weights, which had been dealt with by a conference of the Southland Union. It was very desirable and necessary that persons selling f.0.b.. and delivering at the ship's side, should be able to rely upon the railway weights. Mr Acton gave an instance in which he had been shown the English railway weights of an engine (packed) and the New Zealand railwav weights of the same packages, and the latter were llcwts more than the English. But the owner could get no allowance made. . Mr Maslin mentioned another case jn which £lB had been charged for the freight of a consignment from Oamaru to Timaru, and he managed to get a refund of one half, on account of the manner of weighing.' A long bogie truck had been weighed one end at a time on a short weigh-bridge. Mr Acton said a fault in the weighing must creep in through the practice of weighing the trucks when coupled 'together. Members agreed that it would be only fair that farmers should pay for exact weights if thev wanted them, and it was resolved—" That- the Railway Department be requested to guarantee the weights of all grain for shipment forwarded by Tail, and to issue when requested certificates oi freights to the convenors." Mr Maslin said he had been asked to brine up the matter of threshing rates, which as he had seen by the Press had been raised bv a workers' union at Waimate. He had no official notice of but he was aware that threshing machine owners about Geraldine had been given: notice by the Union that- a demand would be made for an alteration of the system of payment. Drivers and feeders were to have Is 6d per hour and found, and other hands Is an hour and found, and the hours were to be limited to 10j actual working hours per day. He did not think Is an hour too much if the found themselves, but it was too much if they were found. At present the men get 8s per 1000 for oats, and 9s and 10s per 1000 for wheat. In reply "to a remark that the fanners were not affected, he said that if —-oost of threshing was increased

fanners more for threshing- And there would be no getting out of it by nonunion mills. If the case was taken before the Arbitration Court, as was proposed, and the Court made an order fix-, ing hours and rates for the Union, all other owners would have to comply with it too.

Mr Wilson, speaking as both farmer and mill-owner, said the present system is the best.

As there was nothing official before the meeting it was agreed that nothing very definite could be done, but it was resolved—'' That in the opinion of this executive the present system of paying threshing-mill hands at per thousand should continue."

A few points in regard to farmers' fire insurances were discussed briefly. Mr Muslin stated that a conference had been held at Wellington between representatives oft the Union and the Insurance Association, but the latter-, feo far as he was aware, had not yet replied. The meeting then closed.