HUNNISHNESS.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 28 June 1916, Page 2

HUNNISHNESS.

(To the .Editor).

Sir, —I have read with 'the greatest interest the letter over the signature of J. Robertson, and might not liave taken the trouble to answer it but ; <:r the sentences where he asks "the direotois of "the local dairy company il' they we're consulted in regard to tho cancellation of the association's registration, and if so diid they approve of it; if they don't approve of it, what steps do they propose to take to see that the agreement arrived at js honorably earned oivtP" Let "me hasten to assure J. Robertson that directors of tho local dairy company were invited to attend a meeting of the representatives ot the dairy companies interested, andi to wthioh four representatives from the Levin Dairy Company attended and the whole question was discussed in alt its bearings end Mr Harkness there gave his account of the meeting of himself with others aud the representatives of the A.I'.U. The outstanding feature of tho discussion was the tact that the A.P.I. had no legal right or status whatever to approach representatives of the dairy companies with the statement that there was a dispute in thb dairying industry for the pumpooe of" entering into an agreement under the auspices of A.x.D. J. Robertson should know this as well as 1, and his letter will bear reading again in the light of this fact. J. Robertson lias many personal friends among the farmers of this district and dloubtlcss they will be interested in a few things . not recorded by him. . A few day 6 after the Palm era ton meeting aforesaid, | an individual describing himself as Mr Hunter, secretary to the A.P.U., arrived at the Levin dlaiiry factory and asked for me. When I appeared, he snm there was a dispute, and were wo going to accept the now agreement. I replied that we were awaiting Govi ernment Departmental instructions or j information. He said we should soon get that; but still we wait. He attended oujr factory on three consecutive days and hunted round for a dispute, aud when he could not find any, I procured all the written evidence of the fact; 1 even went so far as 'to j6urii ey to Wellington and interviewed tho Laoour Department, displaying the evidence 1 had and they madte a search among their papers but could not find tiie position as stated by him oir J. Robertson. It may be of interest to the farmer friends to know thlat the attested evidence of the strike that did not come to birth is carefully filed) to which will be added this letter of J. Robertson for future reference. And though the farmer friends may not trouble albout this discussion carried on in this way, I am perfectly confine that if the threat hung over the factory at that time had eventuated and their milk couldi not have been received 1 by the factory, these farmers would then have had dearer ldel&s about Jrluiis and Hunnishnees than by any other 'method.—l am, etc. JAMES PROUSE, A Director, Levin Co-op. Dairy Co. Ld.