FARMERS’ UNION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, 1 June 1928, Page 6

FARMERS’ UNION.

CONFERENCE AT FEILDING. (By Telegraph —Press Association.) •' * PALMERSTON X., Thursday. The Inter-Provincial Conference of tlie Farmers’ Union was continued at Pending to-day. A remit that the Government he urged to take urgent measures to assure a regular and sufficient Supply of phosphates for the Dominion was carried without discussion.

AVairarapa delegates supported a remit that, in view of the serious discrepancy between manufacturers’ price of superphosphate in England and in the Dominion, the Dominion Conference be asked to examine the matter fully. —Conference approved. The Eketahuna branch urged the Dominion Conference to take steps to devise ways and means whereby individual farmers will constantly be brought closer into touch with the work of the Union, for the general good of the farming community. The remit was

tui'an im ously supported. A Martinborough remit that proper representation be made to the Associated Banks to reduce the prevailing rate of interest was carried.

The Manawatu Executive moved that the Government be urged to appoint rabbit inspectors as inspectors of noxious weeds, and subsidise rabbit boards for the services they rendered. Delegates asked whether it was intended to over-ride county councils, "which had full power to deal with noxious weeds.

Mr W. G. Grice contended that the Government had failed deplorably in the handling of the weeds ’ question, and ho felt that rabbit inspectors could deal with the menace as effectively as they dealt with the rabbit nuisance. A trial would prove the worth of the move. Mr J. Morrison said he did not know any county that had a weeds inspector. Councils simply declared a weed noxious and left 'it to the Government inspector to deal with, Mr K. AY. Dalrymple stated that the object of the remit was to keep noniiifected districts clean, not to tackle the whole problem. Mr C. C. Jackson declared that unless tlie blackberry pest was taken in hand, New, Zealand’s main export would soon be jam. Council subsidies were discussed when a Marten branch remit that subsidies be paid on all general rates was

carried. Mr Jackson expressed concern that the remit might prejudice the smaller counties, which are given the maximum subsidy to help them. Conference agreed that the Minister of Lands should pay outstanding rates on Grown Lands when such revert back to the Crown. It was pointed out that county councils suffered considerable losses un- , der existing arrangements. Contending that other countries had used the scheme ho proposed for hundreds of years without trouble, Mr C.

P. Jensen (Te Iloro) moved that tire Government be asked to appoint a board of at least three men to .value all farm lands Occupied and farmed for twenty years or more, such value to be permanent and based on the production of the unimproved value. Mr Jensen said the object was to arrive at an equitable basis of taaxtion. The reclassification and re-valuation of all rural lands were necessary to ascertain ils real unimproved value. Legislators , cried out for production and more pro-duction,-and., when that materialised the Government sent round valuers who put up the value of the land, said the speaker. Land values should be based on the production of the permanent unimproved value, which could be ascertained by a practical examination of the subsoil as well as of the surface soil

and other considerations affecting laud. Other speakers felt that Mr Jensen had advanced a possible solution of the whole of the rural land valuation question. The remit Was carried. In an endeavour to bring money back to rural land, the Manawatu Executive proposed that as a means of giving much-needed relief to occupiers of rural lands, and in order to make investments by way of mortgage on such lands more attractive, the Government be asked materially to reduce income tax on this form of investment. Other remits carried were that direct taxation should be cn the individual, not on companies, and that every .motorist should have a third party risk. It was decided to hold the next conference m Master ton, Mr K» W, Palrymple being asked to Jake the chair.