FARMERS CONFER.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1189, 26 July 1911, Page 5

FARMERS CONFER.

DOMINION UNION. FREEHOLD AND KINDRED MATTERS THE LABOUR OUTLOOK. &ND OTHER TOPICS OP THE DAY. The annual Dominion Conference of the New Zealand Farmers' Union was oponed in tho National Mutual Buildings yesterday, morning. The chair was occupied by Mr. J. G. 'Wilson, president, and the following delegates were present:—Advisory Committee, Mr. I'. I'. Hockley (Huntervilio); treasurer, Mr. W. J. Birch (Morton); secretary, Mr. E. C. Jack (Wellington); provincial presidents, Major Lusk (Auckland), Messrs.. J. W. Jones (Taranaki),' J. E. Lane (Hawko's Bay), 1. Tunnicliffe (Nelson), A. Mackay .(Madborough), G. 1 , . Horrell (North Canterbury), J. Talbot (South Canterbury), D. M. Philip (Otago), T. W. Foster'(Southland); delegates, Messrs. J. E. Makgill (Auckland), E. Maxwell (Taranaki), A. L. D. i'rasor (Hawke's Bay), 1!. Campbell,'and H. A. Kevins (Wellington), J. C'ordcr (Nelson), H. D. Vavasour (Marlborough), G. Sheat and C. H. Ensor (North Canterbury), J. Talbot (South Canterbury), A. i'Vaser (Otago), J. lU'lJucen (Southland), At. Grenseil (Pelorus Sound), Mr. K. Evans (North. Canterbury) were also preseut. The lion. T. Mackenzie, Minister for Agriculture, Mr. C. J. Keakcs, Director oi Live Stock and Meat, and Mr. 1). Cuddie, Dairy Commissioner, also atSended.

THE PRESIDENT. PAST SEASON AND THE FUTUKE. The president, in his annual address, reminded members that it was ten years since the lirst .Dominion Conference had been held in Wellington, ' and farmers were to be • congratulated on having a public-spirited body of men who ha\i devoted much time at their own expense to the interests of tho producers. Often, he was afraid, with little encouragement and recognition. •The past seiisim on the whole had been a good one for the large majority of farmers. Despite the tact that the New Zealand fanner found that he got more than his share "of the ills that crops are heir to," and that this season had brought to light some new and some rejuvenated old pests and blights, the climatic conditions had, on the whole favonred the. largest portion of -Jfcw Zealand. If the drought had been too severo in some districts, it had suited others. On the' West Coast again there had been compensating results to counteract the serious trouble that had been felt in the loss of tho turnip and rape crops; for the weather had been dry and the growth unusual for the late autumn. Although thero might be some trouble with'hoggets lateri so far there had not been any great loss reported, bnt there ..was no doubt that the "husk" was.more prevalent than usual. This year the drought had been most serious in South Canterbury; the grass had been scanty, little or no rape had come forward, and the growth of feed for winter had been difficult, and turnips in Southland and other favoured spots had been at a premium.

Despite all these difficulties, lambs had fattened in a wonderful way, no- doubt because of the continuous sunny weather; and we would have probably an export record. Tho season in' the south had favoured two enterprising pests, viz., the grass grub, which had done serious damage in some districts, and tho potato grub, which seemed to multiply exceedingly in tho dry weather. The question of fattening food for lambs in summer, and winter food for ewes and hoggets in winter, was becoming a serious one. Latterly, some farmers ' had abandoned the fight against seasons, blight, and pests ; and, had turned their attention t" growing barley or oats as a green fond, and .increasing their area of.clover for summer.'- The North Island had some symptoms of the same complaint this year, and, if the past season was a sample of what we had to expect our root crops to be, we would be in much the same position as the south, and have to rely upon grain and clover for lamb feeding. We should bo very unlike Britishers,-how-ever, if we accepted this state of things without trying to remedy it. Blight, fungoid diseases, and insect pe=ts could bo combated and defeated, and although seasons could not be altered, a proper and intelligent system of farming might do much to counteract the effects of weather.

Labour Matters, The question, of an award . for bUed hands "had been settled since they last met. The Court decided that there should be an award, but limited the award in the following terms:— ''Nothing in this award shall bo deemed to apply to members of employers' , families or permanent employees, or children of Maori parentage under sixteen years of age." . Had such a clause not been inserted it ■was difficult to foresee what would have happened. They had before them another dispute in connection with the agricultural .labourers, as the farm labourers in Canterbury had formulated claims, and would no doubt press them before the Arbitration Court.

The chairman of the Bank of New Zealand, in his annual address to the stareholders, said: "Any industrial enterprise likely' to require much labour is not viewed as a good proposition. Capitalists are undoubtedly nervous at the attitude of Labour; and it is to be deplored, for'it must be patent that unless there be exhibited a spirit of greater harmony between Labour and Capital no quickening of industrial activity can be looked for. I have the conviction that if employers and employees exhibited a genuine desire to work amicably together, industries which at present arc in a languishing condition would spring into life. This is essential in tho interests of .the State."

If this was what the. Labour laws antl the Labour leaders had succeeded in doing, it was a deplorable result. What, then, might they expect if the result was the samo in the greatest of all their industries—the agricultural industry? They were to bo dragged before a Court, which after tho most exhaiistivo hearing that had been known since tho Arbitration Court had been set up, declared that they would not make an award. If they had no award, tho bitterness of feeling would be raissd between employer and employee, and large sums of money would be spent in the cose, and the whole industry disturbed; while if they lind an award it would be impossible to work" under it without immense. loss. Tho industry conld not, of course, be. stopped, the growth of wool, shoep, cattle, etc., would have to go on, but on a different scale altogether, nud modified in a great many respects. F«wer hands would be employed, and none . would bo the gniner, whilst the industry would bo seriously injured.

The Flow, of Money. . One result of this want of confidence Had been that tho money which would otherwise have been invested in industrial ventures had lwen turned into safer channels, and money had Iwen cheaper on mortgage than before. The Bank of New Zealand chairman, however, considered: "The coming year promises to he ono of low prices for commodities, and there, aro strong indications that tho product. , year will yield a smaller return than tho previous one." In financial circles, it was expected thift money for mortgage purples would not lie so plentiful later on, and this would seem likely, for the total vahio nf wool exported was nearly a million less than last year.

When there w-ai still such a demand for the increase in (he land tax amongst a certain section of the, people, it might be interesting to analyse the payment* made in respect of if. and compare it with the income tnx. The Yr-ar Book of 1010 gave Iho net asses.-'od income, after allowing all exomption. as .£".,440,68:1, paid by 11,175 persons or companies; the net assess)il taxable value of kind and mortgages it .C122,!)">!M25, and the tax was-paid by 3!i,1G2 persons or companies. On incomes there was an allowance of .£3OO per annum granted on all incomes , before, the awowment of tax was made; in the case of land, if the'lift, value was not more than an exemption of £'500 -.was made-.takins the income of' this'at five

per cent., it meant tua; all over ,£25, as compare with. XM income was taxed —tint tins ceased after tliu value, reached j;2.itlO. It 'would appear, tlien, that tho nvcrago income uf tiiwc who paid income tax was Mtii>, which, together with tho .CItOU exemption, would mean £\)tih (this did not, however, take into consideration that companies and absentees are not allowed tho exemption of MOU); whereas the income of tnose who pay land tax was very much smaller. On a five per cent, basis tho income from land valued at £VU,%!>,iia would be 871, or an average of ,61!<5.

The total amount of income tax collected from 11,175 peisous was .£311i,8!)5, or

,C2B 75., thy 32,102 pjrsons who paid by way of laud tax averaging il!) 7s. Cd. Viewed in this light, it would be teen that the owner who paid land tax, with a a income of illSo, paid twotliirds as much as the iucume-tax payer who had an income of <£9(io; an altogether disproportionate amount, but while tho iucoinc-tax payer ceased to pay further taxation upon his income, this was not tho case of tho landowner. Ho had to pay by way of rates a very large sum of money, vis., .£1,390,798 per annum, and as there were about 176,500 owners of land, whether Crown tenants or freeholders, this amounted to nearly M a head. So that thoso who paid land tax paid within ,£1 per head of tboso who paid,income tax, although they hud less than a fourth of the income. Ho was quite aware that this was a very rough and ready way of making tho comparison, and that' thero wen; coinl'licn ting circumstances, but so far as he lad the information at hand, it was a reasonable comparison to make. Another section of the people who mnde the demand of an equal division of land according to the above uguros would not find much consolation whim each got their share, Tho taxable value of the unimproved land estate in the Dominion was. as they had swn, if this were divided amongst the present people of the Dominion eacli would receive about .£122, worth of land—a , rather inadequate and disappointing amount to make a living off. Now that tho Labour laws were making so expensive and crippling so many industries, tho cry for increased protection was again raised, and the iron trade was now demanding an increased duty of 33 1-3 per cent., which, together ivith freight, would amount to 40 per cent, at least. . No ono who had watched the trend of events would coueider that final; it would only be tho occasion for fresh demands and requests for further protection. The farmers would, therefore, require to exercise the greatest vigilance, and resist to the fullest this proposal to increase the rate of duty. On tho whole, said Mr. Wilson in conclusion, the union had gone ahead during tho year. What Mr. Chas. Barrett, president of tlia American Farmers' Union, said to his members applied equally to the.New Zealand Union. This was:— "Tho Farmers' Union contains thousands of members who are resolved that it shall not die. They are i. determined to stand by and stay in it regardless of what comes; in the face of any disaster, at the co?t of any sacrifice. They know its principles mean the salvation of tho Ameri- . can farmer. Convinced of that fact, no amount of personal discomfort, huiniliation, or temporary defeat will ever be able to drive them from its banner." (Loud applause.)

UP FOR DISCUSSION. THE OPTION OP PURCHASE. On behalf of the Wellington Union, Mr. W. J. Birch moved:— "That the Government be asked to ame'nd the Land Act so as to give all Crown tenants the option of purchasing the freehold for their lands at the original value and the difference between the 4 per cent, now charged on the loase-in-perpetuity and the 5 per cent, charged to tenants with the right-to-purchase, and in future all Crown lands shall be disposed of on the optional system of tenure." Mr. J. W. Jones (Taranaki) seconded the motion. He though f they were' 1 all of opinion that the Crown tenant would be a better man for himself and for the State if ho had the freehold.

_ After some further discussion, in which i]i- was pointed, out (hat the motion was contrary to the union's platform. Mr Birch suggested that the find-would he met by reaffirming planks 3 and S of the platform. IMank 3 provides that all holders of land in lease-in-pcrpetuiry, or perpetual lease, or small grazing' runs have the right to purchase the freehold at any time after the improvement conditions had heen complied with, either by immediate casli payment or payment extending, over, an indefinite time, reduction of rent to be made in proportion to such payments. No transfer to be registered unless such transfer has attached a declaration by the purchaser in terms of . , L £! ld Act antl Lan(l ''or Settlement Act. Clause 8 reads: "That Crown tenants.on the lease-in-perpetuity tenure have the right to acquire the freehold of their holding on payment, by the lessee, of the original value, and the payment of the difterence between the i per cent, now charged on the lease-in-perpetuity and the 5 per cent, charged to tenants with right-to-purchase."

Mi. A. L. I). Fraser (Napier) protested against reaffirming Clause 8, which would give th« freehold to the 909 year leaseholders at. the original value. This would moan giving the fortunate leaseholders .£•1,000,000 of the people's nionev. (Laushter and cries of Question,) '

Mr. F. Hockloy said he was quite as emphatic as Air. Fraser in saying that it would bo wrong for the State to take anv value under these leases, which riehtlv belonged to the tenant. Lot Mr. Fraser take up ono of these sections and put in the best twenty years of his life on it and at the end he would feel that every penny of the increased value of it belonged to him. M M L r '^ E ' Cam P b . e " (Wanganui) urged tnat the present increased value belonged to the .tenant. ~M r - G- Sheat (North Canterbury) thought these lands should be unlocked A.,er several other delegates had ex-prc'-or! loeir views, Planks 3 and 8 were reaffirmed. Determine by Arbitration. Mr. Phillips, O'tngo, moved: 'Thnt whilo tho union should advocate that the 999 years' lease should nave tho right of purchase at the original value, nil other leaseholders should only have that right of payment of tho present market value "* ' Mr. Birch (Wellington) said he would 59 , ..m'VP 01 ' 011 if U wns altered to read: TJint tenants of tho Crown holding short leases should have the right of purchase at the present value, less tho value of the unexpircd period of lease." Mr Ilockley moved an amendment that nil Crown tenants other than lense-in-perpetuity tenants bo given the option of purchasing thft freehold at a value that would be fair both to tho tenant and the ntate.

After sonifl further discussion it was moved that all Crown tenants under the renewable lease, system bo given tho option of purchasing the unimproved value of the freehold at a pric:- to be. determined by. arbitration. Mr. Evans fcoondod this amendment, which was carried. ■ Imported Bonedust, 3lr. Jlakgill (Auckland) moved: "That the Dominion Conference bo asked (o discuss the action of tho Government in regard to tho regulations imposed on the manufacture of bonedust for importation in'.o Now Zealand, and, if deemed advisable, that the Government I)' , asked to relax tin , regulations, which are now being objected to by the manufacturers." The mover thought a committee should be set up lo discuss the matter with the Minister for Agriculture and his officers. The Hon. T. Maekonzh said tho-object of Ihe Government was to im:rea?e the safety of the' people here. They tried to get increased protection for the fanners, but. the manufacturers in Tndin would not meet them. However, there was not very much risk of rccontaininntion after the bones had nassed the Government's inspectors in India. The president thought it had Ijeen uroved J hat the steps tho Government took .in regard to tho inspection of bonedust had beer, very successful. •Mr. Maxwell (Taranaki) moved that the Government bo asked not to relax-in any way its effort* to ensurp that imported bone is pronerlr er.firiiisftd. -Mr.- G. .Shcat Worth Canterbury) sec_ond«d the amendment.

Mr. Makgill withdrew the Auckland inoHon, nnd the amendment was carried. Noxious Weeds. The Mnrlhorpugli Vmon moved: "That specimens 01 noxious weeds <>s far as known in New Zealand j-iinilarly named be supplied to each Agricultural and Pastoral Associn- • tion or Farmers' T'nifcn that will properly home them and allow them to bo examined." Mr. Mackay paid that in Maryborough they had conic to the conclusion that tho noxious weeds trouble wa.s becoming very .serious, and was g-iing to become a menace worse than the rabbit pest. The idea was to get these weeds displayed at shows, etc., whore, farmers met. Air. runnichfl'o seconded thi motion. The president remarked on the value of such displays, which would encourage farmers to take, an interest. One of the most interesting exhibits at the Pnlmerstou Show had been the Government weed exhibit. . He thought a collection of weed seeds should also be made. The Hon. T. Mackenzie said the Government was extending the number of places it exhibited at. He thought the motion went in the right direction. Collections, of weed seeds were being made, but the cost was a factor to be considered. Mounted specimens could bo given to A. and i>. Associations, etc., as they were prepared, at a small cost The resolution was carried.

Samples of Wool. Tho Mariborough Union, through Mr. Mackay, also moved: "That districts which derive no benefit from the annual expenditure in connection with a Statefarm, be supplied with a full set of wool counts, properly arranged, and the proper counts attached." Mr. Vavasour seconded the motion. . Ho was Mire such a Fchemo wouid bo a great assistance, in improving classing, and benefit thb wobl business all over the country. 'The resolution was carried. Dipping—and the Tick. On behalf of the Nelson Union, Mr. Tunnicliffe moved that the month of January be included in the sheen-dipping season in tho Nelson province. The reason for this, said the mover, was the shortage of water during the Regulation dipping time. During the course of a discussion that ensued, Mr. Ensor remarked that the (lipping regulations were so lax at present, and ticks so prevalent, t'nat thousands of pounds' worth of damage was done yearly, and the regulations required revising. He believed tho tick could bo eradicated if stringent measures were adopted. Mr. Vavasour was of opinion that the regulations should be more stringently enforced, instead of relaxed in any direction.

Mr. M'Queen said tho Government compelled them to dip sheep, but what did the dipping mean? The sheep were run through tho dips without getting wet in many cases. It was a farce. He believed, that Ihe State shoufu" see that farmers had proper dips. Several speakers thought that if farmers dipped twice (off the shears and at the end of March) for three or four years the tick would be wiped out.

Mr. Ensor moved an'amendment that it bo a recommendation to the Agricultural Doparlment to enforce the Dipping Act, with a view to eradicating the sheep tick. The original motion was carried. Draft on Wool, The North Canterbury Union (Mr. Ensor) moved: "That it be a recommendation to tho Advisory Committee that they intiuire if there is!any''necessity; ■ apart from custom, for allowing one pound per cwt. draft on wool to secure to the buyer a hundredweight of wool in a fair commercial sense." The mover said the custom was an old one, which should bo nbblised. The president said this matter had occupied the attention of the Advisory Committee before. At the' present time ho

was in communication with London brokers in regard to ths matter. Nowadays there was absolutely no reason for the p.llowanco, as bales could be weighed to an ounce. The motion was carried. Payment for Wool Bales. Mr. Ensor. on behalf of the North Canterbury Union, moved: "That,' if there is no sound commercial reason, apart from custom, woolsellers should be paid for their bales by the wool buyers." This was a question wlych, in tho mover's opinion, particularly required looking into, as a huge amount of money was involved in this apparently small item.

The motion was lost. It was decided that Chambers of Commerce be written to asking them to bring before merchants ordering wool packs for next season, the necessity for the full weight per pack. Cow Testing. A resolution in regard to cow testing was tabled by tho Taranak-i Union (Mr. J. \Y. Jones), -who moved: —■ "That, seeing the great importance of the dairy industry in New Zealand, this conference urges dairy companies, A.; and P. Associations, and branches of the union, to use every , effort to tostcr. and encourage cow testing.". ' ' ' Mr. Birch seconded the motion, which he thought was in the interests of the industry. Mr. Makgi'.l said he had found the benefit of testing. He had been testing for seven or eight years, and he had increased from his herd 10 or 121b. of butterper cow, putting it at a low estimate. Mr. D. Cuddie, Dairy Commissioner, said good herds had averaged 77151b. of milk and 320 of■ butter-fat per head, and the poor herds averaged 4323 aud 168 respectively. The difference in money value was £," 12s. per cow. The matter was a very important one, and the Department was doing all it could to help the farmers. He considered this the most important factor of the day. So far the Department was very pleased with results, and they had received.(ss annlications from different centres for the services of men to start associations. There would be an important forward, movement during the coming year. Mr. M'Queen raised the qnestion of tho disposal of cows that could not como up to a certain test—the rejects. Perhaps legislation would be required to deal with In reply to .a question, Mr. Cuddie said he had taken out figures for a eood district (Taranaki), covering about 5000 cows and the return of butter-fat was 1081b. on the average. The hitter's ranged from 1301b. to 2971b. The motion was carried.

Herd and Shed, On behalf of the' Wellington Union the president moved :— "That, in connection with the dairy industry, some system of herd and fhed inspection is necessary, and that' this conference recommends that tho Agricultural Department and representatives of dairy farmers confer as to the most suitable method of inspection." The president said the men they wanted to look after were the careless men, the men .who were on a short lease and did not want to spend money on improvements, and the men who worked on shares. Mr. "Evans , thought this was asking the Government to do more than they should do. On the one hand they cried for economy, and on the other asked for more. They were doing very well at present and should not ask for more. The president asked the Dairy Commissioner if. in his opinion, there was an improvement in the quality of the milk brought t'o the factories. Mr. Cnddie explained the system of inspection of dairies by officers of the Department. About .4000 farms had been visited in the last 12 months and an immense amount of good had been done. They had not had one complaint from one farmer. In foot some of the dairy factories applied t'o have a man sent round to all the farms supplying them. : At the same lime he. would point out that -they were not policing Ih'o nirms. The Minister for Agriculture said they were going lo keep to the lines at present bring worked nlong. They wanted no more dairy regulation's-just now. (4 p. ■plnusp.) The work was divided between '.Air. Ksakesaml Mr. Cuddie, and to show

thiit n good dc-al of inspection was done :I2!19 lioritl of cattle were condemned and compensiteil for last year. The motion was withdrawn. Pasteurisation of Milk and Whey. The Tarannki Union moved Hint the pasteurisation of milk and whey bo made compulsory. Air. Jones said that in spite of what the Department .-aid, tuberculosis was on tho increase, and a good deal of it. he was sure, was contracted from the. milk and whey which had not been pasteurised. Mr. Foster (.Southland) seconded the motion which, he urged, would not inflict any hardship on anyone. , The president agreed that the step was necessary, but the score of expense had to be considered. He thought the matter might stand for a time. .Mr. Reakes stated that when it had been demonstrated and proved here and in Denmark what a check could be given to tuberculosis by the use of pasteurised milk and whey he thought it must be admitted that the system was worth adoption. After a long discussion the motion was carried. The conference rose at 6 o'clock and will resume at 9.30 this morning.