YOUNG FARMERS’ CLUB

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 89, Issue 227, 25 September 1945, Page 6

YOUNG FARMERS’ CLUB

REPORT ON MONTHLY MEETING AT MARTON. The September meeting of the Marton Y.F.C. was a very successful one. The chairman, Mr. M. M. Marshall, presided over an attendance of 25 members and the advisory president, Mr. H. G. Stewart. Apologies were received from Messrs G. L. Marshall, A. C. Birch, A. B. Odlin, K. G. Coles. D. R. McFarlane and A. McDonald. A letter, inadvertently overlooked at the last meeting, was read from Sergt. lan Sicely, thanking the club for the newsletter and the Christmas parcel. He stated that he hoped it would not be long before all those members still overseas will be home and able to join up with their old club. Lengthy discussion was held over the question of the Y.F.C. Memorial scheme, and after considering all the suggestions set out in a circular, the following remit was passed:—“That it is the unanimous opinion of the Marton Club that the Y.F.C. Memorial should be one which is available to each and every member of the federation, Further, the club considers that the suggestion of a mobile vehicle, equipped with sound film talking and screening apparatus, to be the most suited for this purpose, and recommends that if sufficient funds are raised, one such vehicle should be allotted to each council area, and that exchanges of films with Y.F.C.’s in other countries be negotiated as often as possible. It also suggests that a lib-

rary could be incorporated with the mobile vehicles.” The schedule of the Lincoln College Old Students’ Association scholarship was read. This scholarship, open to all active members of the federation, is tenable for one year at Canterbury Agricultural College, and is worth £55. Any member wishing to make application must do so by October 2, when the district committee will make its selection from the applications received. Final selection is made by a special selection committee appointed by the federation. It was decided that the club should do something practical in support of lhe Y.F.C. food production policy set out in the December 1944, issue of the Journal of Agriculture. The possibilities for staging a trial with sweet clover will be more fully investigated at the next meeting which will be on October 12. The chairman was elected the club’s delegate to the Marton branch of Federated Farmers of N.Z. Ways and means of raising money for the memorial will be gone into by the committee before the district committee meeting on October 2. Five new members were enrolled and four others renewed their membership. The 1945-46 roll now stands at 40, almost double the number reenrolled at the annual meeting. As it had been unable to arrange a lecture for the evening, the executive decided with some misgivings, to try impromptu speeches. The club is very "rateful to Mr. Rix-Trott, of Huntley School, who come at short, notice and gave his ideas on impromptu speech making. He said he thought it was imperative for all members to be able to get up on their feet, and sneak, even if only for a couple of minutes. It

makes all the difference to a meeting if those people can take an active part in discussions which always crop up, and relieves the chairman and secre- ' fcary of the necessity of doing all the j talking, which they have no wish to i do. Mr Rix-Trott also said that it was •quite obvious that to-day, as i.ever be‘fore, it was necessary for the farming community to be articulate, and be 'able to uphold its rights. Too often laid one hear the complaint ihat the ! wrong man was in a certain position, •or that at a meeting certain measures I were passed which were not in accord | with the general opinion, simply because the mover was able to speak (convincingly and get away with it. On the speaker’s suggestion each ■member wrote down some subject associated with farming. These were put (into one hat and the names of all pre(sent put into another, and they were (drawn at random with the result that I the following subjects were drawn:— i“Fencing” J. W. Frederick; “Preven(tion and Treatment of Footrot,” E. C. Gower: “Shearing.” J. M. C. Shield: “Fencing,” M. M. Marshall; “Pruning Fruit Trees,” A. L. Vile; “Water Supply,” M. F. Gray; “Construction of a Wool Shed.” A. H. Nitschke; “Ploughing,” H. R. Miller. Speeches such as these will prove very valuable, for all the different, aspects of the subject crop up, and nr any useful tips can bo learnt.