FARMERS UNION.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 11818, 25 July 1902, Page 4

FARMERS UNION.

"S@UTH CANTERBURY" EXECUS-IVE. \\ •A meeting of the -Executive of t-te South | : province of the Farmers" Union was held "in the Foresters' Hall, Tiniara, commencing at U,oo a.m., to -receive a report by Mr J. F. Doiigias, their ■delegate to the 'late Colonial Conference ■at Wellington. There were present:— Messrs J. Chisholm (president). J. F. Douglas and W., F. Ward (Waimate), D. McLaren and J. Anstey (Timaru), E. Acton (Pleasant- Point), W. S. Maslin (Geraldine), J. jOorrigan (Morven), J. Wilson (Fairlie). and W. G. Dunsford (secretary). Mr Beer (Morven) was also present. On the minutes of the previous meeting being read. Mr McLaren, who was not present at that meeting, protested against remarks that were made thereat regarding converging traffic. Mr "Douglas, before making his report, thanked the Executive for the honour doiie 'hiuk.in appointing him their delegate. He ; out that he had been heavily handicapped through the proposals^ l of this "Executive not being sent up to Wellington in proper form, so that they were ; not presented to the Conference at aiL , IMr Douglas made several recommendations j for the future, including better notice to ! ;the delegate and that all the recominenda- : /tions for the Conference from the branches ! ' should be discussed by the Executive, so '; •that the delegate might be well apprised | of the opinions of all branches. It had j Tbeen a great pleasure to him to attend ? the Conference; it was a sort of education - -to -anybody, to meet so many men from all parts of the colony. There were 17 delegates from the North Island and S ; from the South, so that the North Island ihad a great preponderance in the voting. As this was the first Colonial Conference it was recognised that they had a great dßal of work to- do in getting -things into line and order, and that with no less than 175 proposals or resolutions placed before them they, had a heavy task set them. It was early laid down that they should lave two limits —they should not touch 'party politics, and they should not touch labour questions. This hit South Canter"bury, as they had sent up several questions ■ that were of a political nature, but such i as they thought the Council should take •up. They were very fortunate in having a very good chairman, in Mr Wilson, whose Parliamentary experience enabled Hm to keep things going smoothly and in order, and Mr Kirkbride's speech'' at the opening was-an excellent one. In future the -Council would not have to deal with an undigested mass of proposals, as an order paper would be prepared, and subjects selected that were of colonial importance. (The secretary explained that he sent up the printed sheet report of the last meeting of the Executive as containing the South Canterbury proposals.) ■ Mr Douglas said this was /unfair to the Conference secretary. In -utire the resolutions to be submitted for discussion must be made out in- proper form, a committee being appointed for that purpose. The first thing done was to revise the rules, ■and for this purpose a new draft—the Palmerston rules—were used. The question of the insufficient remuneration\ of Mr Glass was also dealt with, and it was agreed to send round a circular asking for subscriptions, to make a bonus for him. Mr Douglas reported on the interview with ,the representatives of the shipping companies, and said that it was clear from that interview that the fanners can ex-

i pect nothing from the companies, but must i\ look to themselves for any improvement on the present ways of doing the business. The companies cannot afford to take any risk of lpss in the opening of new markets, nor in altering the pres'ent system of distributing all the meat from London. The matter of official tests of manures and seeds '""" -was well discussed, and a Bill is promised to allow Government efficers to give analyses for publication without risk of law suits. When a question regarding the Conciliation and Arbitration Act was brought up, it was at once moved to withdraw it as a political question. He described to the Conference the situation in. South Canterbury between farmers and the Shearers Union and the' millowners' case, but the Conference would have nothing to do with it. They would not touch the Act at all, saying the Union is not a registered union and cannot be cited, and therefore they should jot interfere, but no vote was taken on the subject. The I chairman and Mr Reece, of panterbury, B had a good deal of information to give ■ about fire insurance, and some of special H interest from.- Canada, where a system of B mutual insurance is in use among farmers. B It "was determined to ask the Government B to bring in a Bill to allow fanners to fhrm B a combination for this ; urpose. Accords' ing to this Canadian system the farmers ■ pay a small levy into a pool, and if there B are no fires, a very small levy next year; ■ if therej are large demands for fires, more ■ has to be paid. This was considered the B cheapest method for farmers, and it will I be gone into further when additional in- ■ formation has been received from Canada, ■ and this will be circulated. In the mean- ■ time it is hoped to get a Bill passed to I authorise the combination. It was aseerI tained that it is quite impossible to get I any reduction in the present rates from I companies as they are bound by a bond ■ to adhere to the present rates. In the I meantime, pending the adoption of the I Canadian or some other mutual system, the I Conference recommended the farmers . to I insure with the New Zealand Farmers' I Association (Christchurch), as all the pro- ■ fits are divided among farmers. The ConB -ference carried the proposal that in- disposB ing of rural lands under the Land for B Settlements Acts, the three tenures proH vided for by the Land Act should be Bj available —purchase for cash, deferred payBJ mentis and perpetual lease. The proposed B that leases should be periodically revalued B was rejected. A good discussion took B place on the motion that existing Crown B leases "should be convertible into freeholds, ■ with a limitation of area, as in the Land I for Settlements Act; all moneys paid in I to be used for extending the system of ■ settlement. This was carried by 17 to B 6. He had been given an instruction to B oppose this, but when he got up to da B so, he was referred to the decision in its B favour at the Ashburton Conference. This B was an, assurance of the need for the ExB ecutive considering motions before the deleBLrate went up.-. In regard to the grants BJfor expenditure by local bodies it was BJagreed that the present system is demoralBjising, both to members of Parliament and* Bfcheir constituents, and that such grants BJshould not depend on the will of the MinisBjters, and that a vote by the House for BJmy purpose should be used for that pur- . Bjpose and no other. The Minister ' of Btjands was present and heard some very' Blvhoiesome truths. He explained that BKhe votes were put down because they beBMieved they were required, but it was BEuite another thing whether the money BJvould be available. It was pointed out BBhat the system led people to undertake BK'orks on the strength of the votes, and BJhey might land themselves in a difficulty Bny doing so. The Conference agreed that Bfrarliament should riot pass any vote unBftss it was to be available. They seemed BB> think, however, that this was not a BBatten of much importance to the Union, Blip it was rather a political matter. On Bie question of the policy of the Union Bjn regard to labour disputes, he did what Bkie could to support the South Canterbury Blesolution, but could not get a seconder. Btrhe Conference was almost unanimous that |Bhe.-Union should have nothing to do with Bench disputes, and there was very little BJliscussion on the point. There Was a BJong discussion on the part to be taken BJ>y the Union members as the labour party ■Lad. done. The Conference would not ■•auction this, but agreed to allow the : ■■ranches to fight the local battles as ■branches, but jt must not be <••■ ne under BJhe flag of the Union. It was agreed Bahat the Colonial Executive should draw Bkp a series of questions to be put to canBaidates, and these would be sent to the ■•ranches when ready. Mr Douglas re■■erred briefly to a great many other matBaers that were discussed, his statement inBaeresting the members for over an hour. In BMonclusion he said that the finance of the Bftentral Conference was in a satisfactory BMondition. They would be able to carry BJn for the current year, and in future Bft was considered that a levy of 6d per ■Miember would meet expenses of conferBance. The provincial sections would now BJave experience to guide them as to the ■lost of canying on, and after the two BBvies had been made known the branches Bftrald make up their estimate of requireBBents. The Conference, he believed, ■Hrould do good. Some of their proposals BMere perhaps crude, but this was the first , Bmmference, and when they got into workBBg order, and especially when they had Bfl selected order paper to work upon, the BBnnferer.co wonM do better. (Applause.) BH After an adjournment for lunch, the I ■Bher members spoke on various matters ■BW had been referred to. BBThe chairman made an explanation of Be matters complained of by Mr Douglas.

tL4 tirpi»inea'«suso tnat iae <liad. : railed, -this I meeting, -with short notice to Mr E'oug- 1 las, in «rder that he might report '4 o the ' Provincial before doing so to ■ his local "(branch. • He pointed mat that . Mr Douglas should not have been at a disadvantage because the South -Canterbury remits -were not .properly sent "&ti, as all of them had been sent in by other districts and were on the order .-paper. (Mr Douglas explained, later on, that this deprived him of the chance of moving any of them, and the mover has a distinct advantage.) Mr Ward moved that .a -hearty vote of i thanks be accorded to Mr Douglas for his services at the Conference. He stated that Mr Douglas and lie and the Waimate branch secretary, had spent a lot of time in studying the proposals to be sent to the Conference, and it was annoying to find that they had miscarried. The district had been disfranchised, j He also complained of the imperfect way in which notices of this meeting had been '■ sent out; he had not received his. (The secretary said he had posted the notices . to the Branch chairman.) He urged that the Union should be snade a more active ; body, doing something for the agrarian in- ; terests, with similar zeal to that shown ] by the labour unions, who had made great ! personal sacrifices to gain broad ends. I Speaking of land tenures, he believed in ! the freehold himself, but had agreed to the ': half loaf of partial freehold, and approved 1 of limiting holdings. He ridiculed the i iear of the Union to touch politics; they I should not be afraid even to censure their politicians. They must touch politics, in the measures they wanted to have carried, and to oppose those they did not; and ; he did not see why they should not send to Parliament men whose sympathies and Interests were identical with their own. Lawyers and other townsmen would ask what they wanted and promise to get it for them, but they were not in a position to properly represent them. Mr Corrigac seconded the vote of thanks. He complained that this Executive had never worked satisfactorily. As for politics he spoke strongly of the necessity for the Union being a political organisation, as the labour unions were. As such the latter had been the means.of putting the Ballance Government in power, and main--1 taining the present Government, lliey should be more self-reliant, do more for themselves, and ask the Government iox less. They had to pay for all such he p ■ sooner or later. They should have mo e ' co-operation—they had a good nucleus in ! the Farmers' Co-operative Assoeiatioii- ■ should have their own flour mills, and it L there was any "corner" to be made in ' corn, it should be made by the owneis, : the farmers, and not by a lew merchants. I The farmers were not mutually heip.ui. ' an instance of which was that bmitn ; would not tell Jones what he got for his lambs, so that a week later he could boast that he got 6d more than Jones did i Mr McLaren supported the vote of . thanks. They knew that Mr Douglas had the interests of farmers, and therefore the interests of the colony, at heart. 1 Like Mr Ward, he had been much sur- : prised at the cry of the Conference, and r even by some of their own members that i they must not touch politics. If They !■' 'were not to touch politics what were they '. uniting for? They were doing so because i politics was touching them. It was not - a question of the party in power, but i of the legislation passed, and proposed, - no matter by whom; He had not muet t hope of anything being done by the Union i until the farmers' burden was made sc . heavy that they must kick against it. r They needed a few more men like Mr , Kirkbride to raise an alarm about th: • growth of the national debt. , He had - much pleasure in joining in the compli--5 ment to Mr Douglas. Finally, he spoke I of the necessity of forming a new branch 5 for Thnaru district, the original Timaru f branch having been broken up to form J others; i Mr Maslin complimented Mr Douglas on " the able way in which, against great odds, " he had represented the South Canterbury 1 Executive, and for the useful work he had 5 dene at home. He remarked that the ' secretary had been blamed for nob seuGy ing documents to Wellington;- but the secs retary had never been instructed or: rey j" quested to do so. As for the Conference, r it ought to have done a great amount. "- of goodj but he 'felt that it had been a 5 failure, its result a wretched abortion. • They sent down Mr Glass from the North r Island to form branches, on a definite . programme of " objects," one of which was that the Union, should "keep a vigilant 1 watch upon all measures brought before ' the House, and on the working of the present laws, and protest against any , -measure deemed injurious to farming ,jn- \ terests." This "object" was again adopted by the late Conference, and yet s they refused to "touch politics." They I would not look at the' interest of farmers [ in the Conciliation and Arbitration Act, but when it was a question of money for North Island roads and bridges, that was a different thing altogether with them. , The interests of the two islands were so different, and iru some respects so opposed , to each other, that it might be found necessary to divide the Union and set up one for each island. \ The votes for local , public works in the North; Island for the last eight or nine years had largely exceeded those for -the South Island, but the North Island majority on the Conference was not likely to protest against the way the Public Works Fund was managed. The Conference, instead of dealing with local votes; should have dealt with the question of a good Local Government Bill, to provide a system that would do away with log-rolling. -They were told by the Conference that if they had labour disputes to deal with they must form a defensive organisation outside the Farmers' Union., If .they did so the defensive body would live, and the Union: would die. . Mr Acton supported the vote of thanks. He was sorry to hear tie remarks of Mr Ward and Mr Maslin, and their complaints that South Canterbury had not been fairly treated at Wellington, after the explanation that had been given. They, could not expect. to have all their own way, when the North Island had such a large majority of delegates, because they had been longer organised. be j their duty to see that they had a larger representation next year, so that they j would be able to fight their battles successfully. He was sorry to hear Mr Maslin talk about cutting the painter. If they were patient, and moderate in their demands, and took care to be well represented, they would be able to make their wishes felt. Mr Maslin said he did not advocate. " cutting the painter," but mentioned it as a warning, if they had to form. defensive unions outside the Farmers' Union: Mr Acton said the Pleasant Point branch. 50 members- present, had passed a resolution on July 21st:—-"That it is not contemplated, nor is jit desirable, that the Farmers' an association, should contest in the law courts, as against any other union." He quite agreed with this. They were now a large association, of 20,000 members, and they should keep out of the law courts. Mr Ward said they could not fight the labour unions as they were not registered as an industrial union, but in fighting, say the Shearers' Union, the members wanted to have the Farmers' Union at their back. They did not want to fight other unions, but to see fair play. Mr Maslin said he had not suggested that they should appear in Court; they could not do so. But they could urge the Government to exclude farmers from the operation of the Arbitration Act. Mr McLaren said the lawyers were divided in opinion whether they were under are Act. Mr Maslin said no ; there was no division on that point; the doubt referred to the Workmen's Compensation Act. Mr Anstey, while joining in the vote of thanks, was inclined to agree with Mr Maslin in his disappointment at the results of the Conference. They had put aside the question of fair rent as involving a breach of agreement, yet were pre, pared to vary the terms of perpetual leases as if that was not also a breach of agreement. To grant a tenant-right would only be a variation of contract for the benefit of both parties. There was no consistency in the way the Conference dealt with these subjects. He had thought a good deal about fire insurance, and was convinced that no capital was necessary to carry on the business. The Government Bill asked for a quarter of a million as capital. It could not be used for that\ purpose, but would come in handy for Ministers for some other purpose. The ideal fire insurance system would be a mutual system of making up losses by a rate struck when losses occurred. The cost I of management could be kept down, and the net premiums need not be more than a fourth of what they are now. The Conference passed a resolution about the rabbit nuisance. This was nothing to

I the small birds, and m !tKis district the rabbit inspectors cost five time more than all the loss by rabbits, which had not done'2os -worth of damage within 50 miles of Timaru in 30 years;. Mr Beer, president of the local branch at Morven, said if the South Canterbury Executive did not manage its business better in the future than in the past, they would lose the southern people. They must be more alive, and up ""d doing. With regard to land tenures, the leasehold system should be retained, as it was a good stepping-stone, by which a man could 1 get out of the field of labour to a home of his own. He suggested that branch secretaries be directed to forward to the secretary the names of chairmen and secretaries* as soon as they were elected, so that correspondence could be sent where it should go, without delay. Mr .Beer also spoke en labour disputes, innd advocated a mutual insurance scheme, by which losses would be met by levies as required. The president expressed regret that members had continued to attack the management of the business of the Executive, after the explanations that had been given, and he asserted that those who had complained were equally to blame for any mischances that had happened. ' He had not sought the position of chairman, and said when he took it that he would be glad to be relieved of it. if members found a better man or were dissatisfied with him. He did not understand why they should continue to "rub it in," unless there was some ulterior motive. Members deprecated any such idea, and Mr Ward said he had simply found fault with the secretarial work, and when the secretary explained that he had but just taken up the work he accepted that. Mr Douglas said that his criticisms of the past had only been meant to point out mistakes that should be avoided in the future. Mr Ward's vote of thanks to Mr Douglas was carried unanimously. In replying, Mr Douglas said the Con- ' ference delegates should discuss the order paper with the Executive, so as to' hear • opinions from all parts of the district. s The South Island, he said, cannot expect • to carry its views at the Conference unless " their delegates are all of one mind, ;a-nd ■' they were not so at the late Conference. On the motion of Mr Corrigan, it was > resolved • that the secretary make some - , inquiry about the excess contribution of i" the Morven branch. It was resolved, on the motion of Mr E Acton, that 20 copies of the "Dairyman" i with the report of the Conference be pro- . cured and distributed among the libraries ■ and institutes of South Canterbury. Some accounts were passed for payment. l The question of assisting the threshing s mill owners to oppose the demands of the fc men, on the ground that if the latter win the exra cost will have to be_paid by f the fanners, was discussed for a while 3 in committee, and it was resolved to authorise the branch secretaries to receive subscriptions from members, with a minimum of Is, to form a fund to assist the 1 mill owners. t The meeting then closed about 3.45 p.m.