FARMERS’ UNION.

Hokitika Guardian, 22 November 1923, Page 4

FARMERS’ UNION.

(From a correspondent). A. meeting id the Manners’ i'nion was held in Hie Hall at Aralnira on .Monday night, the 19tli. November at S p.m. All AA . I!utier. liy invitation was present. As Chairman oi' the West Coast farmer-' Co-op. Lime Producing Co. Ltd. he was asked to give some information about lime a- well as the pre-cut and future pros peels of the unties al Moss. Mr Butler was al.lv supported in all his -tateio rats hv a contingent front Ifoss rejiii -enieil hv Me-.-rs Alinelian and 'I hont|: .on (Directors), .Mr Johnston tour late .Manager) and the Secretary. (,!nite a large number of interested Manners v.cre present, the Me'.!; on one side ol the Hall bring filled from end to end. and judging by the rounds oi laughter. .Mr Butler’s undtein.c "eie -j1 1*l«-n 1.1\ c go d hntnuur. ft i- quite po-sihle t!t:tt his hearers considered that with the practical and metliodieal use ol lime their returns could hi' doubled each year. The paint wtis stressed Hint the Company was not, a money making concern. The West Coast farmer- nut their money into the Coinpnli.v to obtain cheap lime, and compared with the quality and price charged in other localities Itu.-.s Lime was at least 25 per rent, cheaper according to quality titan any oilier lime in New Zealand. The principal saving the farmer make- in llm u-r of lime with a large percentage of ealeiiim i- in the rarl-

age. storage, and then in -owing or spreading the lime on the land. The farmer who handles lime with 89 tier rent, uf calcium is handling the

other 10 per cent, of waste matter which is no use to the land. Lime has its use in all (lasses of land, and although it is not a manure it corrects the aciditv in the soil, and when u a d along with superphosphates it does great work. Mr Butler referred to some < xperimeats carried nut at. the Cawtborne Institute in Nelson. In four dilferent experimental plots lie gave the results, the fourth being n mixture of lime and suporphophalos which gave a crop fi times as great as either of the others. Mo then referred to tjic use of carbonate of lime. 'I his i; used exten .sivel.v in Cni.tcrbnn. ami only cm t 22 s Cil on trucks at lie We i mild sell hundreds of toils of carlionate in Canterbury were it not for the VI miles oP railage which the farmer Inc to pay belore it roaches Christchurch. The first 100 miles is free and any one within this mileage of Loss has the best physic for bis soil at the lowest price than can la* obtained. Mr Dalglicsb our genial Instructor recommends the use of half a nm of carbonate to e;n h too of burnt lime on ploughed land. I For tu>> dressing old pasture Hois • carbonate being as finely pulverized as Hour tr.iinol be improved on. The lecturer also referred to the question of supplying non-shareholders with lime at-the same price as shareholders. He pointed out that when

the works were in lull swing the. cost of production was considerably reduced. ho that so long as they got it. it was to our advantage in getting this increased output. Mr Johnston, our late Manager, said that he made a test in September 1922 when some 240 tons were tested, and lie considered that when the works were going at fnl pressure it cost 32s 3d per ton to put lime on

trucks at Boss. So you soo that it wc can increase the volume <>[ our turnover once the initial cost, of the plant is in sight of being paid for. then wo can think of cutting the price. If during the winter months the lime sales are reduced by half, then this reduces the benefits of the good months, and the average for the whole year is reduced. Thus it will be seen that orders from non-shareholders are a benefit to shareholders, even though we give it to them at the same price. We believe that if more non-shareholders knew they could obtain lime at the same price as shareholders, our volume of orders would be increased to such an extent that we would need to consider the advisability of putting in another kiln. To prove this one man in the audience got up and said: “'['ll bet T can gel you an order for ol> tons in this room in o minutes." “That's the stuff to give 'em" said another. So we will leave it at that.