FARMERS' UNION ACTIVITIES

Waikato Times, Volume 88, Issue 13487, 18 May 1917, Page 4

FARMERS' UNION ACTIVITIES

Auctioneers' Commission. Communications have been received from the Te Awamutu sub-provincial district, with a view to holding a conference re the reduction of commission ciiarged by auctioneering companies at the present time. Over 1000 Members. Huntly West and Ohiuewai have now afh.iatcd under the Federation. In all, twenty-five branches have now affiliated, representing considerably over IUOO members. Tax on Exports. The concensus of opinion of most of the Waikato branches of the Union seems to be against the levying of an export tax. Speaking at the meeting of the Eketahuna branch of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, Mr Hughan stated that the Gladstone and Carterton branches favoured an export tax. This tax would take the place of the excess profits tax. In effect, he said it would mean that the farmers would have to stand all the taxation. Last year in income-tax the farmers paid about £200,000, and the merchants and others some £2,000,000. If an export tax were introduced, most of it would go on to the shoulders of the farmers, and the Government would lose a good deal of its revenue from excess profits. A man who had an hotel would have his taxation reduced, producers of goods for local consumption would go free, and the exporter would have to find all the taxation. He moved that the delegate from the branch to the Wellington provincial conference at Marton be instructed to oppese the Gladstone leant on the subject. The motion was carried. Organising in Poverty Bay. Poverty Bay is being visited by Mr Cooper, Provincial Organiser of the Farmers' Union, and Major Lusk, president of the Auckland Farmers' Union. Meetings are being held in the various farming centres with the object of inducing Poverty Bay farmers to join the union. On Thursday evening the campaign was opened at Te Karaka, when there was a large attendance of those interested. Mr G. Humphreys was elected chairman of the meeting. Major Lusk, whose address was listened to most attentively, gave a clear outline of the work carried out by the Union since its inception seventeen years ago. He pointed out that Poverty Hay was the only place in the Dominion which had no Farmers' Union. All other districts were represented at the annual conference held every July in Wellington. Killing Store Stock. At a meeting of the Waverley branch of the Farmers' Union, Mr Parsons said that there was a matter that needed at'.en'ion, and that was the killing of store stock. Cattle were being killed that could very well carry 1501b more meat if properly topped off. Mr Dickie said that if 8000 cows were killed at 150lb less weight than they should be it was a great loss, but the men who sold the stock probably could not keep them till properly fattened, as feed was scarce. In the course of the discussion that followed, the opinion was generally expressed that beef would be very dear during the coming winter, unless the Government took steps, to regulate the matter. No action was taken .