N.Z. FARMERS UNION.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12562, 15 July 1910, Page 2

N.Z. FARMERS UNION.

DOMINION CONFERENCE

(Per £*ress Association.)

WELLINGTON, July 13

A remit from Auckland urged that the. ,Agricultural Implements Importation and Sales Act be repealed.

Mr. A. Schmitt (Auckland) said the Act appeared to them in the North to i;o a most iniquitous thing. Prices now were higher than they were before and the importers of machinery were making a profit of the whole difference between the manufactured price and the prico of importation. This was contrary to the spirit of the Act.' The motion was carried.

Mr. J. W. Jones (Taranaki) moved, "That this Conference strongly recommends all dairy companies to . instalrasteurising plants for the purpose or stamping out disease among cattle and pigs." The President said few people recognised the great importance of the matter. It was absolutely necessary that something should be .done as soon as the people were satisfied. The pasteurising machines were good. There would bo no difficulty in getting companies to put them in. Mr. C. G. Peakes, Government Veterinarian, said ho was cordially in accord with the remit. Action had been forced upon the Department by circumstances. Statistics had shown that the number of cattle and pigs affected with tuberculosis had steadily increased during the last throe or tour years, the increase in pigs being at the rate of 2 per cent, per annum (so far as their statistic* were available). Another notice able fact was that so far as pigs were concerned they always found an increase of tuberculosis in these- animals coincident with tubercular disease in cattle. There could be no doubt that the byproducts of animals on which pigs were fed communicated the disease to them. Still they must not assume that because there were a large number of pigs affected by tuberculosis that a large number of wdre giving tubercular milk. They had to realise the fact that they must tackle the disease and get it under control. It now cost the country too much altogether. The value of animals condemned last year on account of diseases amounted to about £38,000. If one estimated the amount of indirect loss through depreciation in condition and other things, the • figures would be very startling. He did not want people to think, however, that New Zealand was a badly diseased country. This was not so.

Tho motion was carried

Mr. E. Maxwell (Taranaki) moved, " Tliat this Conference strongly urges the Minister to have thoroughly qualified veterinary surgeons appointed as Stock Inspectors, a reasonable fee to be charged owners of stock attended by the vet."

Mr. Peakes said that now he had got the Department in good working order he hoped to be able to expand the operation of the stock division in the direction of assisting farmers in the prevention of disease. The motion was carried.

The necessity for the establishment of a system of inspection of stallions was advocated by Mr. W. .J. Birch, of Marton, who approved of the scheme outlined by Mr. C. J. Peakes. This would inflict the least hardship on owners ana should bo satisfactory. The question was one of great interest and something certainly should be done.

Mr. Rcakes explained that a Bill on iho subject should not apply to stallions used solely Yor the purpose of its owner or to thoroughbreds used for breeding horses for racing purposes. The Bill also should apply to existing stallions when it first came into foros. Rather they should work in the direction of ensuring that the rising generation was free from hereditary unsoimdness. The examinations should be carried out by a board of capable judges of horses, including at least one or two vets. Amongst the diseases included in any Bill passed should hs bone spavin, ring bone, side bone^. roaring, stringhalt,

shivering, bad hoofs, etc., and thereshould be power of appeal to" the Minis j ter and the chief vet. officer.

A motion proposed by Mr Birch, approving of Mr. Perrke's proposals, was

passed. The Slaughtermen's Federation wrote suggesting that the farmei's should endeavour to improve the condition of their sheep going forward for slaughtering. The Union considered that sheep should be crutched before being seat to the freezing works. The result w.r.iid become apparent in the improved appearance of the carcasos. Complaint had been made by the teprftsontatiyos of the Freezing Companies concerning the appearance of New Zealand mutton on tho London market.

Mr. Peakes said he was .in close touou with the London market, and had not heard any complaint from bis agent concerning the appearances of N".Z. mutton. He would commuuicate with the Freezing Companies and find our. what the complaints w:ro. Mr. Eustace Lane pointed out that this was the first time the tTnion had received recognition front any union. He suggested that the occasion be marked by' receiving the Litter and acknowledging it-s,importar-«e. Be kr lied forward to the time when the tar mers and the workers woind come together and form one strong jarty lor the government of the country. It was decided to inform the Union that it would recommend that care bo exercised by farmers to. see that thojr sheep were properly cleaned before tljoy were sent for slaughter. Mr. J. W. Jones (Taranaki) n'ovetl, "That it is imperative that noxious weeds bo cut earlier in the season ttam at present, and that this Conference urges upon the Government the necessity of having the Act more btrin-rontly enforced."

The motion was carried, with tho addition that the strict enforcement of the Act be in . those districts where tho Local Bodies demanded it. It was a/so decided to request the Railway Department to adopt means of coping with noxious weeds on the railway Jfu^s. The following motion from Tnruiiaki was further considered: "That as the presenjt sysbehn of valuing liand for taxation purposes has proved a complete failure owing do the impossibility of accurately separating the improved from the unimproved value, this Conference considers a much fairer and much simpler way would be to tax on the annual value at thtf same rate ana with the same exemptions as capital invested in other industries, tha annual value to be- 5 per cent, of the capital value."

Tho Chairman said that possibly rating on the capital value would mean an increase in taxation. It would probably be wiser.to postpone the remits dealing with the question and refer them back to the branches.

Mr. Maxwell (Taranaki) said the question had been fully considered by the Taranaki branch. _ The proposal would be the first move in the matter, though a great deal might not come of it at once.

Mr. Evans (Kaiapoi) said that if the farmers sat down and allowed the towns to tax them, then the rising generation did not have the grit it ought to have. Taxation was put on farmers all the time.

The remit was referred to the branches, the Taranaki Union's Exectitive to draw up a statement of the position.

It was decided to object to the present method of the Government in valuing land, inasmuch as some of the valuators did not go on the land and inquire and see* for themselves the improvement and state of the different "properties, and "recommend that valuers should be appointed from.local authorities to work in conjunction with the Government valuers ; also that the valution of tho lands of the Dominion should bo ma-do i>sriodically with not less than four years between such periods. Major Lusk (Auckland) moved, "That all tho loan monies spent by Local Bodies and-money spent by companies be credited by the Government valuers to improvements, instead of to imim-

proved value as at present." He con- ' tended that after a locality had bor- ■'■ rowed money and had to repay it by a rate on the farmers and residents it was unfair that it shoiild have to pay a ; double portion by an increased tax being put upon the land by the Government valuers for the improvements effected with the borrowed money.

The motion was carried

Mr. E. Lane (Rawke's Bay) moved, '•'That in the opinion of this Conference the farmers of the Dominion have helped to create the increment in the unimproved value of city and suburban property and should be exempt from the fresh taxation which the Premier has proposed for the furtherance of artificial industrial conditions." Mr. Lane said his object was to draw attention to the Land Bill, which was to be introduced this session. Judging by what had been made public of it, there was going to be the introduction of the increment tax ,while another proposal was to go directly in the opposite direction and exempt city and suburban properties, exactly the opposite of what was done in the Old Country. In his opinion there should be as little taxa : tion of country lands as possible. Farming was an industry, the prime industry, and it should not be taxed directly. It was already taxed directly to sustain artificial industry. He moved tho remit as a protest against the proposed legislation. Mr. J. E. Lane (Hawke's Bay) seconded the motion.

Mr. J. McQueen (Invercargill) suggested that the remit should be dropped. Mr. Hocldy (Huntorville) thought the motion was making a broad statement of fact which the Conference would find very difficult to prove. Eventually the motion was carried in an amended form >as follows: "That this Conference protests against tho proposal to remit taxation on city lands when taxation on country lands is retained."

At tho evening sitting, resolutions were passed that taxation through the Customs should be for the purpose of revenue, not protection, and that «11 attempts to increase protective duties be strenuously opposed; that the Premier be congratulated on his decision to follow Lord Kitchener's advice and raise the age limit of compulsory training to 25 years; that the Conference protests against the methods adopted by the State Firo Insurance Office in making use of confidential information for the extension of its business; that the Government be asked to collect grain sta tistics by post, each farmer being supplied with a form to show the acreage, estimated yield, and quantity on hand from the previous year; that the sale of unsound or useless bulls for stud purposes should bo prohibited; that thj Conference regrets that a more systematic inspection of dairy herds is not carried out; that the Government be urged to provide more sheep trucks and that the Union protests against the use of. "L.A." trucks for the transport of

sheep over long distances