CANTERBURY FRUITGROWERS

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11510, 17 February 1903, Page 4

CANTERBURY FRUITGROWERS

AN ASSOCIATION FORMED. A well attended meeting of fruitgrowers was held at the Canterbury Hall on Saturday night, when Mr F. Wilding was voted to the chair. The Chairman stated that the meeting had been caLed to consider the question of establishing a Fruitgrowers Association in Canterbury. He might say that $f the principal growers were in its ranks the Society would command an influence which no individual could hope to do. The Government had already done much for the fruit interests, and would do even more if the united efforts of the Association brought forward reasonable recommendations. But in addition to the legitimate assistance which they would doubtless get from the Government, the questions of the uniformity of cases and branding, the export' of the fruit, and the appointiisnt of agents for its sale were amongst many which the Association might usefully take up. He hoped that in the initiatory stages the Committee would content itself with taking up only such matters as those upon which they were unanimous, and with the assistance of a skilled secretary it was hard to say what they could not do- They required a paid secretary, who would carry out the ordere of the Committee and whose time was the property of his employers. On the motion of the Chairman, It was unanimously resolved that as Association should be formed under the name of "The Canterbury Fruitgrowers' Association," and that it should be registered under the Act as a friendly society in order to give it the necessary entity and powers. The meeting then agreed to the proposed objects of the Association, which included the purchase of liter-tore, the collection and dissemination of knowledge in the matter of fruitgrowing, and of the best methods of disposing of the fruit. In order that the Association might not be hampered for want of income, a eliding scale of subscriptions was adopted, which ranged from 5s for one acre to £5 for more than 25 acres. It was resolved that subscribers of 10s, who did not grow fruit for sale, should be enrolled as honorary members without the right of voting, but that all the information acquired by the Society should be at their disposal- The rules as drafted were agreed to, and Mr Fitch, ex-Qavernment pomdlogist, was appointed secretary at the rate of £5£ per annum. Further details were left in the hands of the Committee, which will meet this evening. Before leaving the Hall twenty-six growers signed on as members of the new Association.