BANKS PENINSULA FARMERS' CLUB.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 646, 22 September 1882, Page 2

BANKS PENINSULA FARMERS' CLUB.

cow that the Club is duly incorporated under :< The Agricultural and Pastoral

Societies Act," it may perhaps be as well to dearly r-iterate the result of that pr« ei'i 11ii>i.:;. jleh-i'e incorporation, ilie i in!) consisted (if a body of farm rs, who joined together for their mutu.il beneiit. It was, as it were, a friendly society, meeting to exchange idea* as to the best method of disposing of tlioir produce, hut it had no leg.d rights, and' therefore no power to compel its members to pay their annual subscription, or to recover a debt, so that it was necessarily of limited usefulness.

Nevertheless, the old Farmers' Club did a really good and useful work in its generation. Called into existence by the s'ern exigencies of hard times, it raised the question of the export of d irv produce to a market where all that B u'k'S Peninsula can pro-luce would be swallowed with as little effect as a_drop ot water makes upon the ocean. Arranged in a hurry ; goo 1 and bad produce sent alike ; bad packing ; a muddle about the chemicals ; and other causes, made the trial sdiipmem per the Orari a failure ; but though each farmer who .-out suffer, d a direct loss, their indirect gain compensated them a hundredfold. Them rkct was relieved,prices advanced, and the mighty advantages to bo obtained by S'-nding dairy produce to thHome mnrkct ailly ventilated. We may be sure of one thing, and that is, that this great question of successful export oive raised, will never rest till it is accomplished. If meat can bo sent Home ii» first-class order, so can cheese and butter, and a very few years will sic cargoes of these articles going as regularly to England as our wheat dies lluW. If the Farmers' Club therefore had merely accomplishe 1 this end of making people consider this question, it would have deserved well of the community, but it has done, far more, It has taught its members the ad van'age of co-opera-tion in many matters. It has brought together people who would have otherwise never known c.-'.eh other, and it has acted to a. certain ext-nt as a school for litting people to undertake the duties ot local self-government ; farther, it has called attention to our resources by the Exhibition, and made us known far beyond the narrow limits of New Zealand.

Prosperity,however, to a certain extent had a detrimental effect on tho club. People thought the full end was attained when cheese rose in price, and with a full pocket, felt more inclined for private enjoyment than public work. The question was then raised of reviving tlio Agricultural and Pastoral Show, and the advantages were so manifest that a very general concurrence was shown in the idea. A commit tee was therefore formed to look into the matt-r, and the question of a site for the show yards, and the erect on of yards thou cropped up. For these things money was required. Where was it to be got ? Members subsciiptions wee, it was true, due, but to a small amount only, and a portion of them were difficult to get in, for the club had no power to sue ; and now good prices were to be obtain d, much 1 ss zeal in the general cause w.is exhibited. As the club theiefore had no money, and c mid not borrow, it was no use to talk of erecting yards, aud then tlie question was raised of incorporating the Society under the Agricultural and Pastoral Societies Act, which was devised to meet just such cases.

The Act in question is a very liberal and useful' one. It gives power to associations for the benefit of Agricultural and Pastoral matters, to compel members to pay their, subscriptions, and recover other debts. The committee laid its advantages before members, and the idea was readily caught up, and the society is now incorporated under the Act. '

We have been asked by several farmers to state clearly how this effects members joining the society, and we hasten to do so at th ■ first opportunity. In the Farmers' Club, before incorporation, members had to pay 10.-:, a year subscription, but that subscription (even it the}' announced their intention of being members) was only paid of their o.\n will, no one being able to compel them. Since the incorporation, however, anyone joining the society renders himself legally liable for £\ per annum, but no more. He can, by giving notice in writing to the Secretary, cease to b * a member at any time, but, o' course, the £1 is forfeited for the current ye.ir, oven if bo lias only been a. member for ix month. litu the written notice of resignation of membership relieves him of all future responsibility. Should a mem her, however, neglect to sen., in lii« resd.'Matiun bef; re the end of the year, for which .he has joined has expired, he will be liable tor another year's subscription of £1.

The club should lie joined by rdi the farmers on the Peiiiii.-ula, for produce is not always going to be at the presentrate, and means should be devised to establish a minimum price, so that cheese-making should never be unreuiunerative, though it will of course be more profitable some years than others. Willi our | miliar- advantages of soil and climate we should be able to make a high price in those, seasons, where in Jess favored regions drought or other misfortunes loAver greatly the productive power. The question of holding the Show this year is to come before the Club to-mor-row week. We hear that a section are in favor of having an Agricultural and Pastoral l-xhibition about JNhavh this season, mid that others are anxious to adjourn the matter till next year. If the show is acid this season, the Club will have to borrow the Avhole of the money to put up the yards, but as there arc even now nearly 100 members, this

will bee me unnecessary another year, as the subscrij tions will have Amounted to such a sum that very little borrowing will be n edi'ul. vd'course with such a list of names .as that of thosowho signed the petition for the incorporation, it would be easy enough to borrow the cash at once and provide the necessary interest and sinking fund out of members subscriptions, but many think " out of debt is out of danger " and say that the matter may just as well be left over for another year, when it is expected a considerab c fund will have accumulated.

We agree with the&e last. Th ■ season is already advancing, and we would recommend that this year the Club devote its energies to preparing a goo 1 prize schedule, and offering liberal prizes at the Exhibition of dairy and agricultural produce to beheld in Akaroa on New Year's and the following day. Such a show need not be con lined to butter and cheese alone. Stock, we are afraid, could not be accommodated, but implements of all kinds could, and we are sure their exhibition, and that of farmers' seed-, would create much int rest.

'J he summary of our advice, therefore, is : Let the Hinds accumulate, and erect tho yards out of capital next year, in stead of paying interest on borrowed mono : Lot a strong committer, be forme I, to co-operate with the Akaroa Horticultural and Indu trial Association, and arrange for having a really good show of agricultural and pastoral products and implements, on the Ist and 2nd of January n'xt. By acting in this way, we believe, all will be satisfied, and the general good attained.