FARMERS' UNION.

Wairarapa Age, 17 May 1923, Page 2

FARMERS' UNION.

MASTERTON BRANCH. ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting of the Masterton branch of the Farmers’ Union was held in the A. and P. Rooms yesterday, Mr Hugh Morrison presiding over an attendance of 50 members, including Mr G. R. Sykes, M.P., and Mr W. Perry (Board of Agriculture). THE BUCHANAN CHAIR. The chairman said:— “I am very pleased to start my address by voicing the thanks of all our members to Sir Walter Buchanan, a member of our union, for his handsome gift of £lO,OOO to found a chair of Agricultural Science and thereby greatly help the industry in which we are engaged. For an agricultural and pastoral country like New Zealand it is surprising that a chair of agriculture had not been in existence long ago. Tie trend of education in our universities has been towards turning out men for the professions, and neglecting the equipping of men in agricultural science to help our main industry of farming. Sir ..alter Buchanan, as a practical farmer, and knowing the value of scientific research* as applied to farming, has now given the opportunity of men being trained to help the farmers to get increased production. Auckland 20 years ago was the poorest of our provinces, but now, through the aid of top-dressing with artificial fertilizers, which science had taught tale farmers, it is one of the most thickly populated and richest in New Zealand. The Wairarapa Executive at its last meeting passed a resolution that the trustees of the soldiers’ training farm should be approached to get the Government to turn that farm into an experimental farm for the Wairarapa. Now that Sir Walter Buchanan’s gift has endowed a chair of Agriculture in Wellington, it is more important than ever to have an experimental farm to carry out scientific research. In the soldiers’ training farm we have an ideal spot for the purpose containing a variety of soils, in the centre of the farming district of the Wairarapa, close to Wellington, and given free oi cost It is up to the A. and P. Associations and the Farmers’ Union to see to it that wo get tins experimental farm.

TAXATION. Reduction oi taxation is one of the most important problems that the Government have to face. I went into this matter pretty thoroughly last year at Wanganui and it is not my intention to say much now. While agreeing with Mr W. D. Hunt that it is necessary and proper that the Government should reduce taxation on companies, the fact must not be lost sight of that there is no section of the community more heavily taxed than the farmer. In addition to heavy county rates, he has to face the double Tax, of land-tax as well as in-come-tax. If we were to back up Mr Hunt’s scheme of reduced company taxation only and not fight for reduced direct taxation, then the politicians would say the farmers are quite satisfied with a reduction on company taxation and would still continue to impose on farmers the iniquitous ’ double taxation. While agreeing that farmers would get an indirect benefit by a reduction in company taxation, still it is of the utmost importance that we must fight for the main thing, to get relief from direct taxation on farmers. FARM WORKERS’ HOUSES.

The solution of the housing problem is not only in building workers’ homes in cities; why not have rural workers’ homes, by which means we can bring workers out of the cities into the country. A man could have 10 or 20 acres of la-nd, keep a cow or two, and a garden, ana thereby cheapen the cost of living. There is the greatest difficulty to get hoys and vouns men to come out and wo*£ on farms, and the only solution seems to be to rear them in the country. I will admit that we farmers have had too many single men working on farms and not enough cottages for married men. While well-to-do farmers can erect cottages and keep married men, the struggling farmer could not afford it. Something more than cottages for married men was wanted on the farms. Why not give the agricultural worker the s ame opportunity as city workers of having a home and a- plot of ground of his own. If these worker’s homes were in groups in the country with school and telephone facilities, it would solve the drift that is going on from country to town, which is disastrous to an agricultural and pastoral cour try like New Zealand. The shortage of domestic help, which was a serious handicap to women folk in the country, would be alleviated by countryreared girls taking up positions as helps. Good men could make good wages at shearing, fencing, and general farm work throughout the year and would be ’rearing families in healthy surroundings, and the majority of their children would follow on and become the farmers of the future. The farm workers had greater opportunities to step out of the ranks of labour and become employers themselves than any other section of workers in the world ; 75 per cent of our present day farmers have started as workers on farms, and there would oe the same opportunities in the future as in the past.

EDUCATION. “We are constantly hearing of farmers and agricultural workers having to leave the back-blocks as they cannot get their children educated. That is another cause of the movement to the towns. The further a man goes into the backT2ocks, the harder it :s to get his children educated. The biggest asset in a young country like this is the man who goes and develops the backblocks, and yet he is penalised In education facilities. We do not ask for the same opportunity as the ci€y child, but we do say most emphatically that farmers and country workers should get the opportunity of giving their children education up to 6th standard in a school with a certificated teacher. »

DAIRYING. Tn January, February, and March, New Zealand sent to the Old Country 14,250 tons of eheese as against 7105 tons from al! other countries; and

14,875 tons of butter as against 33,231 tons from other countries, that is twice as much cheese, as all the other countries put together, and slightly less than half the butter imported by the old country. This shows the tremendous growth of the cheese industry in this country. As there is a growing competition both in che?so end butter a- dairy produce control board is imperative. The violent fluctuations of our dairy prices seem to be caused to a great extent by the market not being kept evenly supplied. The dairy farmers are getting alive to the value of testing their herds, and the Farmers’ Union has given them all available information. There is no doubt that several groups of farmers in the Wairarapa will band themselves together next season in herd-testing associations. FARMERS’ UNION.

It is more necessary than ever for farmers to organise and combine to meet the many problems facing them. The .best way we can do that is by sticking to the Farmers’ Union. It our organisations were disbanded, within a week we would .find it necessary to reorganise. Seeing this is so, why not stick to the organisation and make it stronger. The only way you can help us in the matter is by increased membership and loyal support. It can be conclusively Droved that this organisation has done more for the farmer than he realises. We have many grievances to remedy, and the only possible way to do this' is by organisation.

In moving the adoption of the report and balance sheet, the chairman said: During the slump, meat cost about 4d per lb. from the farm to the home markets. This had been reduced by about l|d a lb, a reduction that would have been impossible but for the organisation. A good fight had been .put up and the Meat Control Board resulted. Nobody coir 1 say that the board had not attained wonderful results, (Applause.)

FOR THE CONFERENCE. The following remits will be forwarded to the Provincial Conference: “That the matter of rural homes be brought before the conference”—(Mr W. Perry, seconding, said it was a vital question. Mr G. R. Sykes, M.P., said the housing question was the most vital one which faced the country. Pro vision was made on the statutes for an allowance ot £750 for the erection of" rural workers’ homes but this was inadequate under present conditions and an amendment was nece'sary. Mr D. Smith moved: “That farmers be allowed to deduct the land tax nnid from their income tax returns.” —Carried. Mr H. Morrison moved: “That the Government he asked to make a reduction on farmers’ direct taxation.—Carried. Mr Morrison moved: “That the Government be asked to make arrangements so that all children in the backblocks be given education up to the 6th standard by a certificated teacher.” —Mr G. R. Sykes, seconding, said the difficulty was being partially overcome by correspondence schools which .so Tar were proving successful. Backblock settlers were appreciating this measure.—Carried. Mr W. Perry moved: “That this meeting express its appreciation of the gift of £lO,OOO of Sir Walter Buchanan to Victoria University, and that the Government be asked to supplement this by equipping a farm for the necessary practical side of the education.”—Carried. OFFICERS ELECTED.

The following local committee were elected: Messrs H. Morrison, A. Forsberg, Murray Jackson, J. G. Wingate, D. McGregor, D. Smith, J. M. James, J. Toxward, R. Gray, F. Percy, A. McKay, P. M. Compton. F. Jennings, R. Judd, W. Perry, J. P. Perry, W. T. Wilton, L. Tildesley, G. A. Bruce, C. J. Bennett, R. McKay, E. J. Wright, T. R. Barrer, H. Evans, L. T. Daniell.