FARMERS’ UNION

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19802, 18 May 1934, Page 7

FARMERS’ UNION

PLEASANT POINT BRANCH MONTHLY MEETING The monthly meeting of the Pleasant Point Branch of the Farmers’ Union was held on Wednesday evening, Mr C. Ley presiding over a good attendance of members. Mr Ley said that since last meeting a successful Field Day had been held in conjunction with the Pleasant Point Farm School Committee, and he was glad to see the interest which was being taken by the district in the experiments conducted at the School. Now that members had had an opportunity of viewing the work which was being done they were in a position to take advantage of the School Committee’s invitation and offer a few suggestions which might be of benefit. Marketing of Produce. The remit referred back to branches from the executive, “That the time is now opportune for the Farmers’ Union to move in the matter of advocating that farmers should combine and market their own produce, or, in other words, organise industrially,” was considered. Mr Mcllwrick said that the remit was along the right lines, but the difficulty was to secure complete unity by voluntary methods. The benefit resulting from the Government’s stepping in to assist the wheat Industry by the Wheat Regulations, making it compulsory for all wheatgrowers to pool together, was obvious and he was of the opinion that what could be done with wheat could be done with other classes of primary produce. Mr R. Henderson said that considerable overlapping had been eliminated in the collection of cream for dairy factories, and attention could readily be turned to the overlapping which took place in the buying and drafting of lambs. The present system appeared to be about as costly as it could be in that buyers and drafters were operating dozens of times over the same locality, and he knew of instances where the total lamb collections in the season against the mileage had been less than one a mile. He suggested that a system of zoning could be considered and lambs drafted in a definite area on certain days to be appointed for the purpose, and instead of drafters taking a mob of 200 lambs to the works, mobs of 2,000 would be the rule. It was within the bounds of possibility for lambs to be pooled and sold off the hooks on grade to buyers. The competition between buyers would not necessarily be eliminated and the costs would be reduced. After further discussion it was decided that the following remit be substituted:—“That the time is now opportune for the Farmers’ Union in conjunction with the Meat Board, the Dairy Board, and the Co-operative Pig Marketing Association, to urge the Government to consider introducing legislation along similar lines to the Wheat Regulations (1933-34) to have a system of compulsory pooling of all classes of primary produce, the produce to be sold on grade as to weight and quality.” Visit of Dr. Hilgendorf. As Dr. Hilgendorf would be in the district on May 25 it was decided to invite him to addi’ess a special meeting of farmers on that evening, and it was left in the hands 'of the secretary to make the necessary arrangements. A vote of thanks was accorded the Women’s Division for providing supper.