MENDING THE RIFT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 47, 26 February 1946, Page 5

MENDING THE RIFT

FEDERATED FARMERS MOVE SUBMISSION TO ARBITRATION At the meeting of farmers at Edgecumbe, last Friday evening, Mr B. V. Cooksley, Dominion President of the F.F.N.Z., spent some time in expounding upon the recent move made by the Federation in asking the Auckland Provincial Council of the N.Z.F.U. to submit to independant arbitration the various questions which have been the cause of disagreement on the question of joining up with the rest of the farming communities in the Dominion.

Mr Cooksley' read a copy of the letter which had gone forward to the Auckland Provincial Secretary, which conveyed two points: 1. That a list of ten leading citizens be prepared and Auckland invited to select an arbitrator. 2. That the arbitrator be asked to determine (a) Has the Provisional Council acted wrongly or rightly in refusing to agree to Auckland’s application for branch incorporation and' (b) on facts presented to him, what future line of action would be recommended to solve the differences. If the Auckland Farmers’ Union would agree to abide by a decision given by such arbitrator, the Federated Farmers would give a like undertaking and proceed to make the necessary arrangements. The Auckland Secretary was asked to circularise the members of his committee in order that the offer could be carefully considered, and#to be prepared td reply definitely to the proposal when Messrs. W. W. Mulholland and B. V. Cooksley were in Auckland on February 19. Asked to comment on Auckland’s reaction to the offer, Mr Cooksley stated that up to the time of his leaving the meeting of the Auckland Farmers’ Union, that body had not

accepted the offer. Asked to comment on the report that Auckland had agreed to the principle of arbitration, he said he could not do so, as the terms of any decision made by Auckland had not yet been communicated to him, other than that conveyed by letter to the Wellington office. He also stated that in the reply, it was claimed, .with regard to point ‘A’ that it had already been disposed of by Auckland’s assertion that registration could have been proceeded with and thereafter did not require arbitration. Mr Cooksley said that he hoped the differences could be solved amicably, as the position of having two producers’ organisations working at cross purposes in the province was most undesirable in the interests of the farmers.