N.Z, FARMERS' UNION.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1769, 6 June 1913, Page 8

N.Z, FARMERS' UNION.

OTAGO ANNUAL MEETING. (By. Telegraph.—Press Association.) Dunedin, Juno 5. The annual conference of delegates to the (Provincial Council of the Otago branch of the New Zealand Farmers Union was held to-day, thirty-five del©-, gates being present. Mr. D. M. Phillip (president), in moving the adoption oi tue report stated that they could expect from the new Government an improved system of immigration with due regard to farm employees and domestic servants. The board to be appointed to work with experts of the Department of Agriculture should tend to produce better results. He advised farmers to most carefully watch labour movements and' congratulated the merchants and Timaru on the successful fight recently put up against labour. The following office-bearers were reelected :-President, Mr. D. M. Phil IP; vice-president, Mr. Jas. Begg; Executive Committee, Messrs. A. Fraser, Roderick, M'Kcnzie, A. Murray, Geo. Aitchison, ll.i Scott, M.P., W. Grey, J. D. Eodgers, G. H: Stewart, A. Ivleim, J: Christie, Joseph Mosley, "VV. S. D. Trotter, and D. J. Ross; delegates to Dominion Conference, tho president and vice-president';' ' . Amongst tho remits were.*— That in fu« ture all pastoral lands for sub-division should be surveyed in accordance with tho natural features of the country before the lease falls in. That the union ask the Government to ,set up a Board of Agnculture to be composed of competent and practical men, acting in conjunction with tho Minister. That a different system bo adopted in relation":to".the for Public Hospital iand Charitable Aid Boards, the present system being looked upon by many as a secondary land tax. That owing to tho increased values of land, tho penal clauses of tho Graduated Land Tax aro now being applied to small farmers who cannot no accused of blocking close settlement, and that tho conference is of opinion that the Graduated Land Tax should not apply to areas of less valuo than ,£IO,OOO. That the conference, protest against the farming industry being included under tho provisions of the Government's proposed Arbitration Act. That the attention of, tho Government be directed to tho disparity between the taxation levied on land, and that on incomes and other property, and be requested to rectify the same.' Tho. following remits were referred to the Dominion Conference i—That the Government be urged to adopt a scheme whereby mora farm labourers and domestics will bo brought to the Dominion, and that they be distributed fairly to both North and South Islands. That tho conference urge the Government to hasten legislation to give power to farmers' Mutual Fire Insurants Associations to add accident insurance to the bnsiness. That this union enter an emphatic protest against the olleged combine between the Federation of Labour and the shipping companies. *