"DID OUR BEST"

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20098, 18 November 1939, Page 14

"DID OUR BEST"

UNITING THE FARMER ABORTIVE EFFORT UNION PRESIDENT'S VIEW POVERTY BAY OPINION "The Farmers' Union has done its best to bring about an.amalgamation, and it is not our fault that we have failed," stated Mr. ■ J. E. Benson. Poverty Bay provincial president of the Fanners' Union, at a meeting of the provincial executive in Gisborne yesterday afternoon, when reviewing efforts that were made to secure unity of effort among farming organisations. An agitation was commenced in the Gisborne district some months ago with this end in view, and a public meeting of farmers .urged that a determined effort should be made. Correspondence came before yesterday's meeting of the Farmers' Union of an endeavour that was made to hold a meeting of all farmers' bodies in Wellington recently, and while delegates of organisations attended from "North Cape to the Bluff," according to Mr. Benson, who was present, the Sheepowners' Federation was not represented. "In replying to the invitation sent out, the Sheepowners' Federation had stated that no good purpose would be served by such a meeting, Mr. Benson added. Mr. C. H. Williams, president of the Poverty Bay and East Coast Sheepowners' Union, and a vice-presi-dent of the federation, was . not advised by his federation.of the meeting. One of the subjects discussed a; the combined meeting was whether me commandeer principles adopted for the period of the war should continue after the cessation of hostilities. "If these wool men had been tilers," Mr. Benson .stated, "we migiit have got somewhere." The meeting endorsed Mr. Benson's views on the subject.