FARMERS' RE=UNION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 846, 18 June 1910, Page 7

FARMERS' RE=UNION.

DINNER AT PALMERSTON. TOPICS CHIEFLY POLITICAL. (From Our Special Correspondent.) Palmerston, Juno 17. There was an attcndunco'of between thirty and forty at the annual dinner (rf the Palmerston North branch of tho Now Zealand farmers' "Union, which was held in Dawick's Butt'ot to-night.' It had benn decided that the gathering should tako place on May 17, but it was postponed on acount of tlio death' of King Edward. Tho Hon. Tlios. Mackenzie, Minister for' Agriculture, had been invited, but, during the day, information was received from him that, owing to public business necessitating almost continuous sittings of Gabiiiot, he had found that ho would bo unablo to bo present. Ho, however, communicated a cordia; wish that tlio gathering would bo a most successful oho. Mr. John ISalsillie, chairman of tlio branch, presided. Mr. J. C. ltcakes, the chief veterinarian, represented the Department of Agriculture, and Mr. D. Buick, M.P. for Palmerston North, and Mr. J. Na-sh, Mayor of Palnicrstpu North, occupied prominent scats. The president read apologies from Messrs. 11. 0. Bruce, G. G. Wilson (Dominion president, Farmers' Union), E. Newman, M.P., H. Guthrie, M.l'., Mr. AV. H. Field, M.P., Mr. C. A. J. Levett (president of the Manawatu A. and'P. Association), and tho following members of the Provincial Exccutivo :— Messrs. W." J. Birch, Marton; J. Houkloy, Huntcrvillo; A. Houre, Waverley; and T. Moss, Eketahuna.

"The Legislature." Mr. David Buick, M.P. for Palmerston North, in the course of a reply to the toast, "The Legislature," which had been proposed by Mr. E. D. Hoben, expressed his pleasuro at being among a number of farmers gathered together on such an occasion. He had hoped that tho Minister for Agriculture would have boon present, and, in anticipation of his attendance, had prepared a few remarks concerning somo of Mr. Maekonzio's utterances at Dunedin and at jMarton.. Speaking of party Government, ho said that it. was a creation of the people, and that the affairs of tho country could not. bo managed in any other way. He expressed, without hesitation, a conviction that tho Hon. T. Mackenzie was a really good Minister for Agriculture. His heart .was in tho right place, and ho was really trying to do well, and the onlv fault Mt. Buick had to find was that he had got into hal.company. Ho applauded the Depa/tment of Agriculture for its experimental ami education work, but, if the Government was going to run milk supplies to tho cities and compete witli tho" people, the sooner tho Government got out tho better. Farmers did not want Departmental men going about to big sales buying high-class stock, and then competing against them, and telling them that they could do things much better than the farmers. He was a groat believer in private enterprise, and ho thought that tho Government should stop at, experiments. At Marten the Minister had said that ho could not understand why tho fanners would not trust tho .Government. It was easily understood—the farmers were being taxed out of house and homo. Ho (the speaker) again alluded to the Hon. Mr. Mackenzie,_ and stated that he had allied himself with "a peculiar crowd"— a Government which included Socialists, Single Taxcrs, and leaseholders. Of course Mr. Mackenzie had said that ho was prepared to give the people tho freehold;' but they only got it in s very modified form. The speaker be■lieved ,that, people had the freehold, and were taught the use of the rifle in the schools, New Zealand would have little to fear from any foe, but make it a land of leaseholders, and tho interest in tho land was absent. Pioneers. Mr. J. A. Nash, Mayor of Palmerston North, proposed, the toast, "Tho New Zealand Farmers' Union," and compared the past with tho present. Ho looked hack te twenty or thirty years ago to the men of tho soil who were struggling in the pioneer work, and endeavoured to show how much better off and more comfortable the farmers of today were. The New Zealand Farmers' Union had become a power in the land, and that had been brought about in a great extent by the men who have dono so much of the hard work. He particularly mentioned Mr, J. G. "Wilson, and went on tn refer to Mr. J. Ballsillie, Captain Hewitt, and Mr. Stubhs.

Union Aims. Mr. W. B. Matheson, Eongomai, who replied, regretted the absejico of Mr. Wilson, and said'that ho knew that all farmers' unionists would wish liini (Mr. Wilson) speedy recovery from illness. The'proposer of the toast of "Tho Legislature" apparently could not see a flaw in the Government. Still it was best for us to keep watch. ''Reviewing the principles of tho union, lie. commenced with tho freehold. Most of those present, he said, had tho freehold, but it was for those who wero struggling that the union was fighting a battle, and the institution's ambition was that everyone in tho Dominion should own the homo he lived in. Ho believed that the opportunity would be given for the acquisition of the freehold in the near future. Another of the union's principles was that important duty slmuld bfe levied for revenue purposes only. They believed that 16,001) miles, of carriage was .sufficient protection, and, if it was not, the country should go in for industries which could stand on their own legs in tho face of competition. He did not think that they half recognised their, duties as a. democracy, and they never would until thuy hail a direct taxation. The industry which was undoubtedly tho most important in the Dominion was the- most heavily taxed. That was ;i foolish procedure for the democracy to adopt, and. well til should be tho basis of taxation. In education the union had done. re;J service to the colony. Thanks to Jlr. Wilson, the Education Department hud taken up agriculture education very- muuli more than in tiiu past. Tin; Agricultural Department had, for tho past decade, been a very great educational help in numerous ways. They had a veterinary department, which had helped them to rid the land of scab, and had kept it freer from anthrax than other 'countries. They were also trying to get rid of other disi'iisus, niul lYimhl ktuji iiu'oyii on any new-trouble which might appear. The union was honestly and oarncstl.v striving for certain reforms for the land which all New Zcnlandcis loved. Freezing Works. Mr. John Morrison, Halcombc, speaking to tho same toa,°.t, touched principally on tho freezing works question, respecting which he held that tho situ question should bo decided-on unselfish principles. Ho condemned the deferredpayment system as the worst which ever came into tho country. (Dissentient voices.) Ho said that, under it, lie had paid 25 per cent, interest on their land, and that, had the iiystem been unforced, many of the fanners on the Waimate Plains (Taranaki) would have Kono under. Ho prophesied that, before many years, tho dairy industry would bo the Miief of tho Dominion's industries. A. and P. Interests. Mr. li. Abraham, who proposed "Agricultural and Pastoral lntca-sts," pointed out that, in l.hn year ending March. 1910, of the twenty-ono and a half millions pounds of exports, 17

millions camo from tho laud, and of tlio latter umount 15 millions was drawn from sheep, and mutton, and bocf. Speaking of seed-growing, ho said that Sandon was now growim; ryegrass and crested tlogstuil of won'derl'nl quality. A. few years ago Sandon seed was worth little; now it is. running somo of tho noted Huwkc's Bay seed close, ilanaM'utu also was growing seed of various kinds. Chief Veterinarian's Speech. Mr. C. J. llcakcs, chief veterinarian, replying, said that th<; toast was the most important of the evening, because the agricultural industries were tho most important in the Dominion. Tho sum (£21,500,000) which Jlr. Abraham had quoted as being tho value of tho year's exports, was £4,000,600 increaso on tho previous year's, and out of it, over four millions was from agricultural products alone. He thought that farmers had good reason to be satisfied with their position. At the present time, however, when rural industries were in a highly prosperous condition, must not bo taken for granted that they were going to remain so. Tho time, of prosperity was tho time when improvements should he considered, so that, vf bad times should come, they would bo in a better position to meet them. There were many good farmers in Now Zealand, hut among them thero were many with a good deal to learn. In' tlio dairy industry, which was tho staple industry in tho Alnnawatu, there was a great deal of room for improvement, particularly in tho class of cows which were kept, and, still nioro, respecting tho bulls. At the present timo tho average North Islaaid herd was a collection of all kinds of crosses. Some of tho bulls represented all tho sorts of walking crosses you could cram into one animal, and the bulla seemed to feel their position— they looked so miserable. Farmers, moreover, did not give enough attention to sido issues. Pig-raising had become a regular thing, and there was a good opening for exporting, which might,last for some time, but, before tho farmers could initiate and carry on a good" profitable- export trade, they had to get rid of tuberculosis, because that disease would eat up most of tho profits. He had been paying attention to poultry-raising, but would not ""talk of developing an export trade at present. Tlio Department was doing its best, but had not really got over the throes of reorganisation yet. If'it was expected of him to go in for intenso culture: ill agriculture ho would not be found failing in his duty, for he would at least'do his -best. Tho final toast of importance was that of "Tho Chairman" (Mr. Balsillie), who, it,was, said, had done, great work for the Farmers' Union. ' '