DAIRY FARMERS’ UNION.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 662, 26 August 1921, Page 5

DAIRY FARMERS’ UNION.

BRANCHES FORMED IN AKA AKA AND OTAUA. A very interesting meeting was held in the Aka Aka Hail last Wednesday week, 40 odd farmers being present". Mr A. E. Fear, organiser for the Dairy Farmers’ Union, was present by invitation to address the meeting. Mr Jolly was voted to the chair and after introducing the speaker Mr Fear addressed the meeting on aims and objects of the Dairy Farmers’ Union and the need for the daify farmers to organise to increase production and to protect their own industry. The business end of the industry up to the pi-esent the dairy fanners trusted everybody and the ’time has come when we have to look after our own affairs. ' What with shipping rings and trusts and profiteers* and the financial position of - the country, and it is a shame to think that at the pi’esent time th© farmer cannot get any financial assistance through .the banks or auctioneering firms, while the big merchants of the country havp in he past six months received assistance to the extent of .millions and the dairy farmer cannot even get a little assistance financially to buy a few extra cows. The time has come when the farmers of this country will have to go in for their own banks and handle their own money so as to assist the farmer and increase production. We must go in for a better class of cow, and we are introducing systematic herd testing. We are anxious to find out the robber cow. Three hundred thousand robber cows are milked annually and traded through this country at a loss to the dairy farmer of £2,500,000 per annum? Can we afford this loss? We are also using 37,000 scrub bulls on , o.ir good herds and how can we raise the returns per cow unless we go in for registerede pedigree bulls. Only 3500 pedigree bulls are used. Our average in New Zealand is 161ns per cow, IJpnmark 2951bs per cow, Jersey Island over 3001bs per cow. We have the best country in the world for producing butter fat and by keeping only pedigree bulls, and testing our cows we can raise the standard in a few years 100 per cent. This is one' of the planks in the platform cf the Dairy Farmers’ Union. We have also got to organise to crush the trusts operating in this country. They have practically ruined the meat industry of New Zealand, and in a few years they will have the dairyman in their iron grip the same as they have the beef men at the present time unless we organise. Wake up, dairy farmers, and get linked up with this progressive movement. Ninety per cent, of the dairy farmers are joining the union. We want the dairyman in his Union —beef farmers,, wool farmers, fruitgrowers, beekeepers, etc.—all working in their own interests, federated together under one head, N.Z. Farmers’ Union, for political action, shipping, banking, and working together in placing our produce on the world’s markets. Farm labour have organised themselves into a union ar-d joined the Alliance of Labour and from information to hand they are. going to demand an eight-hour day, overtime and double pay on Sundays.. We dairy farmers will have to organise to protect ourselves and meet these men on their own ground, draft labour into three classes, first, second and third-class labour and pay wages throughout the Dominion according to the quality of labour. Other matters of interest were discussed, such as soil testing, pork question, cost of production, profiteers, political action. The speaker also stated that they were not advocating farmers’ trading companies, or anything else, but simply to look after the interests of the dairy farm-* ers. After all questions were satisfactorily answered, the chairman took a show of hands to see if those present would support the Dairy 1 armers’ Union. All present except three joined the movement and signed their members’ cards. The election of officers resulted: —President, Mr T. Robinson: secretary, Mr Bell; committee of five,- viz.: Messrs W. Lowden, H. Jolly, Henry, Parry, Biddle . At the close of the meeting the organiser remarked the same keen interest had been shown in every district where

he had addressed meetings, and he had just received word that -all the farmers in Opotiki were prepaied to join the movement. A meeting was held at Otaua on Friday night. The above proposition of the Dairy Union was placed before the Otaua dairy farmers and all present joined the movement and signed their member’s cards. The election of officers resulted:—President, Mr Balantine; secretary, Mr P. McVan; committee of five members, viz.: Messrs Crouch, Ghezzi, R. Neil, T. McDonnell, N. Smith. The organiser, Mr A- E. Fear, has promised to address a further meeting at Otava in a month’s time. All present stated that the movement was a sound one and would receive the support oi all farmers.