TUAPEKA FARMERS' UNION.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXVLL, Issue 4275, 14 September 1895, Page 3

TUAPEKA FARMERS' UNION.

The ordinary meeting of the Tuapeka Farmers' Union was held in the schoolhouse.Tuapeka West, on Saturday evening last. There was a fair attendance of members; Mr C. Dalziel (Vice-President) being in the chair.-

COBKESPONDENCE.

A letter was received from the Hon. Mr Larnach, M.H.R., enclosing a communication received by him from the Colonial Treasurer with reference to complaints made by the Union that certain applications for loans made by settlers in the Tuapska West district to the Board of Advances did not receive the consideration which the relative securities offered entitled them. The letter of the Colonial Treasurer stated that the ultimate desision as to whether an advance should bo granted or not lay entirely with the Board and not with the Government. The Government had no authority whatever to interfere with the Board in the exercise of its functions. He had communicated on the subject with the Superinteudeot of the Lending Board, and was informed that the reasons for the decisions arrived at by the Board could not be communicated to anyone, the reports of the valuers on the relative securities being treated as confidential commuuicdtious. A Bill to amend the Act would probably be submitted to Parliament during the present session, and an opportunity afforded for considering and remedying the present defects. It was explained by a member present that in one of the cases to which the attention of the Lending Board had been drawn the full amount originally asked had been afterwards granted. Mr H. Cameron said he was glad to see the Urfon had taken the administration of the Lending Department up, and had fairly criticised it. Great caution had to be exercised by those in charge of the department, otherwise the country might be plunged into unnecessary expense. But if the Act was fairly administered, he was sure it would prove of great benefit to the settles of the country ; in fact, he believed it had already helped to reduce the rates of interest on land mortgages, thereby considerably benefiting the country. Mr T. E. Williams was inclined to think that the Advances to Settlers Act.as it was at present administered, was not of any benefit whatever to* the. struggling settlers of the country. There 'was' apparently" too much political influence mixed up withit,andthe moment politicians were allowed to meddle with such a matter its day of usefulness was over. If the Act were properly administered,' and the Lending Board free from all political influence or pressure, he was satisfied that it would do good to struggling farmers. But all who bad applied in the Tuapeka district for assistance from the Lending Board had very little cause to speak well of the way in which it carried on its business. For example, take the settler whose case had been referred to that evening. He applied for £400 ; the Board declined to advance more than £200. He told the Board that that amount was of no earthly use to him. But the Board would not make any further advance. The Union then took the case up and asked Mr Larnach to bring his influence to bear. That was done, and, as they all know, with the best results. On the face of it, did not this yielding on the part of the Board show that it was amenable to political pressure ? Why should it refuse on two occasions to advance more than £200 on this settler' 3 property and then give way and grant the £400 applied for? If Mr Larnach had not been in touch with the Government, and through the Government with the Lending Board, would the amount applied for in this instance have been granted ? He doubted it very much. An uneasy feeling was created when a charge like this could be brought against the Lending Board. He would very much like to see the Board free from all outside influence — to be at liberty to deal with every application on its merits. Until this were so, and the impression widely prevailed such was not the case, he was afraid the Board would be robbed of a lot of its usefulness.

A lengthy discussion ensued, in which several members took part, and it was eventually resolved : " That the Advances to Settlers Act would prove of immense benefit to the country, providing valuations in all cases are fair and based on the productiveness of the land, and not on its speculative value."

ABTIPICIAL MANUBB.

It was resolved that members combine in purchasing their manure this season, as satisfactory arrangements could be made to procure almost any manure in the market. The Secretary was requested to take a note of the requirements of each member for the season, so that the total amount would be known by next meeting.

POLLABD POISON.

Mr Mullins said that at a time when there was so much discussion on the relative qualities of the. different rabbit poisons, he thought it but right he should- state his experience of pollard poison. What he had used of the poison he purchased from Mr G. O. Taylor, Lawrence, by whom the poison was made up and put into tins, one of which he showed to the meeting. He could not speak too highly of the work done by the poison. The rabbits had eaten it greedily, and it killed them off wholesale. He spoke of the poison contained in those tins, and he believed if it were more widely and regularly used the rabbits would soon be a vanishing quantity.

PBESBNTATION.

At the conclusion of the regular business of the meeting, Mr Mullins said he had been deputed by a few members of the Union to present their worthy Secretary with an office clock. He need not say that the duty he was called upon to .perform was in every sense a very pleasing one to him. As the members were aware, Mr Smith had always discharged his duties in an able, obliging, and cheerful manner, and he had, therefore, much pleasure in presenting him with a small proof of the esteem he was held in.

Mr Smith briefly replied, thanking the members for their valued present. He was glad that his efforts to assist were appreciated. Although he possessed neither ability nor experience, nevertheless he had done and would always continue to do whatever he could to help to further the interests of the Union.

The editor of a country journal had many promises of payment from a certain subscriber who was in arrear, and meeting him one day was told, "I'm sorry that I neglected that little matter, but 111 let you b»ve it this week if I live." He didn't pay, and was surprised to see in the next issue a notice of his death with a deep black border, and many expressions of regret at the untimely loss of so estimable a citizen. He called at the office, much to the surprise ot the editor, who of course thought, or professed to think, that he WJ»s defunct, He paid up,