FARMERS' UNION.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13658, 29 July 1908, Page 7

FARMERS' UNION.

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE. Per Press Associatioa. WELLIXGTON. July 23. The annual conference of the New Zealand Farmcis* Union commenced to-day, Mr G. Y/ileon, prtsident, in the chair. Referring to tl»e Land Bill, the president, in hii addrtt>s. &aid it was unsatisfactory from, the point of view of the Union, but preferable to the Bill originally introduced by Mr M-Xab. That Bill, if it had been passed, would have caused a financial crisis, ah far as tlte smaller farmer was concerned. The present Act dealt more harshly with large landed proprietors, but it did not hinder financial arrangements being made. Sir Juseph Ward was entitled to the thanks of the Union for abolishing the sheep tax. A strenuous effort should be made to have «u*ne alterations effected in the valuation <j? land for taxatiou purposes. At pre•sent it was an arbitrary amount which the valuer called the unimproved value, a ridiculous term, and arrived at by a more guest. After reviewing the fluctuations of prices for farm produce, he also said there appeared to be excellent prospects fr.r the coming season. He regretted, however, to say that very few farmers were culling their herds by test, though it had been proved over and over again tliat their output could be increased quite 30 |>er cent, by careful selection. "The Union of farmery." said tho president, **is mora than ever desirable since the ■Socialists have captured the Trades and Labour Conncil." He believed that by far tho btfet means to make a man, whether wi.rker or not. a happy, contented and )ir»sperour> colonist, was to enable him to make his home hss own. That, however, would not satisfy the Socialist propagandist. He warned farmers to heware of those stepping stoißS, the single tax and the nationalisation of land. The fiist was easier of accomplishment, and x. firm belief in the ysstem had crept into the inner counsels of the nations. Every addition to tins land tax was. a step jn the direction of the single tax. Land nationalisation had got a leg in, too. How they were to combat these tendencies- and hinder their growth, even if at the moment they could not defeat them, was a matter for consideration by the conference. It was certain that the complete combination of landowners formed a sure method of doing so. On the motion of Mr Bell (Auckland), the Farmers' Union passed a resolution protesting against any attempt by the Government in tlte direction of land nationalisation, and considers that the legislation of last session by which nine million acres of Crown lands were removed from the- optional system when thrown open for settlement fe another step in this direction. It was also decided that in the opinion of this Conference no tenure is satisfactory to the fanner unless provision is made by which the selector can acquire the freehold rA his section after he has complied with the conditions of residence and improvements ;that the optional system should apply to all lands and that the Conference favours the reasonable limitation of area, such provision to apply to any land occupied under any conditions set out in any of the Land Acts.

Resolutions were passed as follows:

"That when the Government reserves any unoccupied Crown lands that adjoin private holdings (freehold or leasehold) the Lands Department should pay half the cost of fencing and keeping the fences in repair.

"That the present system of valuation of rural land for land tax purposes upon the unimproved value is inequitable, as it has no reliable basis to enable anyone to make the valuation other than a purely arbitrary one; that the capital value is the ouly ascertainable value which can be equitably arrived at, but that the taxable and rateable value should be the average capital of the land taken over a series of years and not the saleable value of the dav.

"That a further ami more determined effort should be made to have the clause relating to "valuation of improvements in the Valuation Act amended by giving- full value for the actual 'benefit to the land from improvements other than the visible. " That the Colonial Council be nrged to bring all the influence the Union can command to induce the Government -to adopts' a more progressive policy in roading the back blocks of the King Country. "That the Roads Department furnish an account showing how the loading for roads on bush lands has been spent so that settlers may have 6ome idea -what becomes of the money on which iihey ara paying interest.