FARMERS DISTRIBUTING COMPANY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1623, 14 December 1912, Page 8

FARMERS DISTRIBUTING COMPANY.

MR. J. G. WILSON REVIEWS THE .YEAR. The annual meeting of the New Zealand Farmers' Co-operative Distributing Company was held in Godber's Rooms yesterday, Mr. J. G. Wilson presiding over a fairly largo attendance of shareholders. The-chairman, in moving the adoption of the report and balance-ehoet (a. precis of which has been published), went fully into the past year's work, and dwelt on the prosperous condition of the company to-day; after many years' struggling. In the future it was hoped to pay a dividend of 7 per cent, to 10 per cent., and & bonus to suppliers and buyers. . Mr. S, J* Richards seconded the adoption, of the report, and expressed his pleasure at the satisfactory position disclosed. This was largely due to the untiring efforts of Mr. Hunt. The adoption of the report and balancesheet was agreed to without discussion. The retiring directors, Messrs. J. Balsillie, A. P.-Allport, and Alex; Strauchan, were re-elected, and a sum of £i 5 was voted to-tho directors for .their services. Mr.' Duncan M'Kay was re-elected auditor. Votes of thanks were accorded to tho directors and staff. ■ Previous to the business meeting, the company's directors entertained a number of tnose who had taken part in the building up of the company at dinner. In the course, of a brief speech, the chairman, Mr. Wilson, remarked that it could now be safely said that tho company was out of the wood, so to speak, and now basking in the sunshine of euccess, on which fact they were to be congratulated. Mr. Wilson proceeded to give a resume of tho history of the company, the foundation of which was laid some ten years ago by Messrs. H. J. Richards and A. Leigh Hunt, who were then of opinion that there was an opening in Wellington for a cooperative company of this nature.. The executive of the Farmers' Union was approached, and countenanced the movement.' They got in some 700 shareholders, and after. a considerable number of disappointments they managed to get a start. Under pressure from shareholders, Mr. Hunt undartook the secretaryship, and with the secretary and a manager they opened business. It was a hard. struggle at first, but at length farmers who had stood off the company at first gained confidence, and supported, it. However, they found that the business would not support both a secretary and a manager, and Mr. Hunt ,was persuaded to take up the dual position.of secretary and manager. In this the, company was very fortunate, as it was very largely due to Mr. Hunt's efforts that they were in such a successful position to-day. After ten years' operations they 6tcod in a fortunate and sound position. Money generally, said Mr. Wil-son,-was tight to-day, but such was not ■tho case with the company. They wanted to invest money, and not to borrow it. The company kid made a profit of about .£IOOO during the twelve months, and the two months of the New Year (October and November) had been two of the best the company had ever experienced. In fact in some cases they had doubled 'their business, and at.the end of the yenr they had every prospect of paying a dividend and bonuses to purchasers and suppliers. Mr. Wilson said he could see no reason why_ the' business - should not increase largely.': There was room for all' and a little' competition was ■ a very, good thing. ..The.company was there for the benefit of the farmer; ar.d.he; was glad to say that prospects generally wore very good indeed. In his opinion they had never before been better in N«v,' Zealand than" at present. If, added !sr. Wilson, it were not for a few individuals prowling -aboiit-New' Zealand!-'and 'sayinj that they we're agoing to tax- , the fanner out he believed the farmer would bo perfectly happy. (Laughter.) ' . The bad weather hid had its effect on some of tho lands of the West .Coast. Lamb ' fatteners had found that ' lambi were not doing as well as last year. Where they had got about 80 per cent, of milk fat lambs, this year they had only about 35 per cent. In a few weeks, however,, this would be remedied. Shearing had also been delayed by' the weatheT, although there appeared to ba plenty of shearers available. Some people had delayed their shearing a month in order to give the lambs a better chance of fattening. . Prices for frozen meat were extremely satisfactory. In the Wellington province, however, producers never - seemed to get quite so much for their lambs, as Canterbury, for instance, but whether it was our system of business or the quality of the lambs he was not quite sure. Beef had been exceptionally high, but very soon there would be very, much less offering. All the better class of fattening land . tfas being taken' up. by dairying people. Bractica'Hy the whole of the land on the West Coast which had been used for fattening' cattle was now, 'or would soon be, in the hands of the dairyman, and was being cut up into small areas, which was good for the country. There was no doubt that dairying had been extraordinarily successful of late. A few years ago. a rsturn : of ,£lO per cow was heralded throughout New Zealand as something particularly good, but today as much as JE2S per cow was returned. While tLis was the case, and values of dairy produce kept up, the price of dairying land was not likely to receue. The fruit industry, too, was expanding in. a wonderful way, and before very long New Zealand must have a large amount of fruit for export. The Government had bce.i wise in making trial shipments of apples to outside markets. One was always bearing of the tightness of the money market, said Mr. Wilson, but when the season's produce, which was late this year, came in, and the farmers had not to draw from the banks against the produce, he thought this; trouble would cease. Tho wool clip might not be as great as usual this year, but the prices were remarkably good. In a short time, however,- wool was not going to be our staple product, but would be _oyer-! ' taken by frozen produce. If politicians would only leave tho farmers olono whilst they (the farmers) pulled Now Zealand out, things would be all rrgTrt. (Laughter.) It only required a little combination on the part of the farmers to enow the public that they are quite willing to pay their share ortaxation if. they are not unfairly or unduly taxed. Mr. Wjlson concluded by paying a tribute to the work done by the staff, especially Mr. A. jjejgb. Hunt.

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