REPLIES TO REMITS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 41, 18 February 1938, Page 6

REPLIES TO REMITS

FARMERS’ UNION MATTER i MR. R. 0. MONTGOMERIE'S ■ REQUEST ACCEDED TO HEAD OFFICE REPLIES RECEIVED ! The Makirikiri branch of Hie New 'Zealand Farmers’ Union at its annual : meeting last Thursday, while ap- ] preciatmg the lull reply from the Pro- ■ vincial Executive to Mr. R. O. Monti gomerie's remits, "rose to a point of order” that, in so far a.s the remits had been forwarded to head office by the Provincial Executive, head office was bound to reply in full. The branch therefore passed q further remit asking Lor a full reply from head office. As the matter had already been fully ] dealt with by the Provincial Execuj five, provincial president (Mr. T. I Currie) instructed that the further [ remit should be forwarded direct to I head office and the reply sent direct |to the brach. i The Dominion head office has now ; replied that this last procedure is contrary to the rules of the organisation and that it can only deal direct with the provinces, and for this reason its reply (now set out in full) has been addressed to the branch secretary (Mr. F. H. Jones) care of the provincial office. Regret had been expressed by the provincial office that a domestic matter within the union should have been aired through the Press and in this matter also head office stressed the fact that this was violating official proceedurc. The following are the categorical replies forwarded from head office to Mr. Montgomerie's three remits: (1) "The first of his submissions was that the difference between receipts and payments for one year from any farm does not really represent the farm’s income for the year because of fluctuations in i maintenance and from other I causes. | "The Dominion Conference passed a I resolution asking that- income be I assessed on a three year average on . the motion of Mr. Montgomerie. I Mr. Montgomerie has not suggested ] any other practical methods in this | connection that lam aware or. ■ (2) "With regard to depreciation of land by its use. This has been ] recognised by agriculturists for at ; least 200 years; ever since the de- [ pletion of fertility of the land in the Eastern States of the U.S.A, caused its abandonment and a move to the West, this fact has been recognised. There is no practical means by which this depreciation can be costed and charged against income except that in many cases it can be, and is, balanced by tne use of manures. "Mr. Montgomerie does not suggest any practical means of measuring this depreciation, and various agricultural authorities are of the opinion that it is impossible of measurement on an accurate and uniform basis. (3) "With regard to index figures; the Dominion Executive has always recognised that the export index figure did not represent the farmers’ price, and owing to changing circumstances export prices from year to year do nut always bear the same relation to farm prices. The Government Statistician informs us that he is now collecting statistics of farm nrices, ana my executive are unable to see that any further action can be taken in this matter. "We think this covers the position as far as Mr. Montgomerie's submissions go.” Opinion in official circles of the union is that the N.Z. Farmers’ Union is essentially a democratic institution where every member has an equal right to be heard. Mr. Montgomerie's remits have boon given longer consideration than perhaps any other remit that has ever come forward. They have been turned down by the considered judgment of both the Wanganui Provincial E.xe utive and Hie Dominion Executive and Mr. Montgomerie, as a supporter of democratic control, must accept this decision. The Makirikiri branch asked for complex replies and these have now been I made.