FARMERS AND CO-OPERATION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 828, 28 May 1910, Page 8

FARMERS AND CO-OPERATION.

AUCKLAND SCHEMES.

(By ,Tclei:rai)U—Press Association.! Auckland, May 27. Tho Auckland Provincial Conference of N.Z. Farmers' Union this morning had an interesting discussion c:i cooperation. Mr: Flanagan brought forward resolutions in favour of co-operation among farmers on sound and businesslike methods. His first proposal was in tho direction of starting a land and estate agency, members of the'sFarmers'.: Union to bo givon a rebate on tho usual rates. His second suggestion was to establish a central co-operative st'orc, each member of the Farmers' Union to bo canvassed to tako up shares. These proposed undertakings should be run for tho benefit of tho union members. Some might suggest that this was rather selfish, but ho was sure that the best thing they could do was to take a leaf out of the book of the Labour Unions, who only considered themselves, and had assumed a strength of something like 50,000 in tho Dominion. These co-op-erative branches should be entirely for the benefit of the Farmers' Union.

Mr. M'lnnis, in seconding, said this co-operative idea was just the thing to revive the union. Mr. Graham suggested a schemo of advances to settlers on the principle of building societies. ■ As an 'amendment Mr. Bell moved in the direction of asking the executive to establish a co-operative association on the line of that in Canterbury. Mr. Schmitt (secretary) said the feeling among the branches ho had visited favoured some co-operative scheme on the lines suggested.

In order to allow members to consider the question of co-operation, the resolutions woro- withdrawn, and a sptxiial committee was set up fo draw up a report at tho earliest opportunity.