FARMERS' UNION.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 11975, 26 January 1903, Page 3

FARMERS' UNION.

WAIMATE BRANCH. A meeting of the Waimate branch of the New Zealand Farmers' Union was held in the County Hall on Saturday last. There were forty farmers present." In the absence of the president, Mr J. F. .Douglas, the chair was taken by Mr Ward, of Waihuo Downs. A circular from the Department of Industries and Commerce was received, informing the Union of the facilities for acquiring information concerning agricultural matters. The Department of Agriculture, in reply to a letter from the branch, statad that no arrangements are made by the Government for the analysis of manures, soils, etc., for farmers, and asking if the Farmers' Union would contribute towards the payment of the salary of an analyst.—lt was resolved that this branch cannot at present contribute towards the salary of an analyst. It was resolved that Saturday, 7th Febhuans, be fixed as the date tor Mr Lillico's next veterinary lecture at Waimate. The chairman said that there were some matters in connection with the frozen meat industry and exportation which required consideration, but which it was advisable to defer until the president should be at the meeting. The chairman introduced the subject of the sheep tax, from which the Government received about £20,000 annually. He was quite sure that the expenditure on inspectors and the collection of the tax was not nearly as much as the Government received from the tax. Farmers should try to have this tax reduced.

Messrs Hertslett and Orbell concurred, and said that the inspection of cattle in New Zealand was paid for out of the sheep tax.—lt was resolved that the executive of the New Zealand Farmers' Union be urged to recommend the Government to reduce the sheep tax to such a rate as would pay for sheep inspection under the Act.

There was a long discussion and a variety of opinions were advanced as to arrangements between the farmers and threshing mill-owners for the work of threshing this year, and as to the wages for farm labourers at the approaching harvest. The Labourers' Union and the Threshing Mill-Owners' Union have organised and are prepared with a programme of prices and wages, and the difficulty cf the fanners coming to an understanding among themselves as to- unanimity in payment for threshing was found to be a hard lem for solution. Mr Herman Meyers, Mr Garland, Mr Buckingham, Mr Coriigan, Mr Thomas Manchester, and others spoke on the subject. Motions by Mr Meyer and Mr Garland were discussed, and at length the following motion by Mr Thomas Manchester was carried:—That the Farmers' Association write to the mill-owners asldng for a statement of the costs of working the threshing mills, and the profits made, and also to state at what rate they are prepared to thresh at per 100 bushels of wheat, oats, and barley; and that a special meeting of this branch be convened for February 7th to consider the reply of the threshing mill-owners. In the course of the discussion it appeared to bs the unanimous opinion that Is per hour and " found" is a fair wage for harvesters for this season.

From an exhaustive enquiry that has just been made, under the auspices of the Ministry of Industry, in the various lacemaking districts in Belgium, it would appear that the Belgian lace industry is slowly but surely dying out. There were 150,000 workers occupied in lace-making in 1875, and the number has now fallen to 47,000. The decline in the manufacture of Belgian lace is due to the existence of -a sweating system—the outcome of exploitation on "the part of the middleman and the salesman. The Department of Industry is at present considering the possibility of intervening, with a view to resuscitating the industry.

Mr O. G. Warwick, the diver who made an unsuccessful effort to recover the treasure sunk on (he steamer Elingamite. intends to try again, but has first to procure v. "Buchanan" diving-dress, a recent invention believed to be the best for deep-sea work. With-regard to the Elingamite, he states that the currents are so strong that it'would be suicidal for ary man to attempt to get at the treasure in the ordinary diving-gear,' and he is cautious enough not to hold out great hope of securing tho gold even with the best divingdress obtainable, but so long as the expense is not too great he thinks an attempt ought to be made, r.nd he intends to make it. While in Auckland (says the " Herald") Mr Warwick has made enquiries with regard, to the Tasmania, which went down on the East Coast some halfdozen years ago, with £24,000 worth of gold and £SOOO worth of jewellery. He thinks the remains of the vessel will probably be silted up by this time, and he suggests blasting to clear the way for his work. He intends to open up negotiations with those interested in the treasure lost on the Tasmania, but if the negotiations fail he will himself fit o\it an expedition and endeavour to recover the gold and jewellery.

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