TE KUITI FARMERS' UNION.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 241, 12 March 1910, Page 2

TE KUITI FARMERS' UNION.

A meeting of the Te Kuiti branch of the New Zealand Fanner:.;' Union was held on Wednesday night at Mr. Mussen's offices. Present: Major Lusk (chairman), and Messrs (i. Berry, A. Shannon, W. Knauf, S. McDonald, H. J. Mufsen and N. I!. Lusk. Some discussion arose on the question of the establishment of a butter factory in Te Kuiti, but no delinUo information was forthcoming. Major Lusk said he had been requested to attend a meeting of fiie. Executive in Auckland on Friday to consider the appointment of a provincial secretary, Mr. Garland bavin;;' resigned, owing to his belief that a secretary was required who could go through the country and addrcr-a the farmers and so arouse cnthuaiaam. Mr. Schmith, the secretary of the Clevedon branch, had been appointed acting - provincial secretary. The. questions of co-operation and trade, concessions to members of the Union, shearers 1 returns, and suggested remits to branches for discussion were amongst matters to be dealt with at the meeting. Major Lusk then fully explained the attitude of the Union towards politics, stating that, while political in its outlook, it adopted no party politics. The crux of th'> Union's attitude would be found in their proposals for the executive to meet before a general election, adopt ..a'"' Farmers' Union candidate, "and" work for him. A circular letter advocating a forward policy .sent by him to the secretary of every branch in the Taumarunui electorate had, he regretted to say, met with little response. Farmers did not seem to take the matter seriously. There were only a fraction of the memberu there should be.

Mr. Berry thought the political business would kill the Union. He hoped they were not going to lower themselves to the level of the Labor party. He did not think the farmers would, be got to go in i'or it. The business to be discussed at the meeting of the executive was lei'U in the hands of Major Lu.sk to use bin best judgment on. Mr. McDonald suggested that, us a difficulty existed in gel .ting meeting:* of farmers in the Union it would l>u better to form an A. and I'. Association and amalgamate the two. lit) referred to the success which had attended the Raglan A. and P. Association, which was run on those lines. Mr. N. I!, Lusk niovnd that the Provincial Executive be requested to go into the matter of the non-fulfil-ment of the Government promise last year of a continuous expenditure of .£250,000 a year on blackbloek roads. Mr McDonald seconded.--Carried. A dicussion then arose on the peculiar bookkeeping shown in flip Public Works Statement, and the attitude of the Government and fli,o County towards the control of |,l|e roads. Mr. Berry said he had had no rate paper, and did not know whether the county had control of the roads or not, lie was quite prepared to pay when be got his notice. He thought the question of the railway station should be dealt with by the Union. It was a disgrace to the town. Mr. N. 13. Lusk said it was not only disgraceful but positively dangerous, and grave danger to life and limb resulted from the present inconvenient arrangements. The stock yards ought to be removed. The Exccutive-was requested to use its influence with the Railway Department to have the stock yards removed. Major Lusk moved that the branch hold monthly meetings, as nearly at full moon as possible. Mr. Shannon suggested holding the meeting on the evening before sale days. The motion was amended lolhatfuulo the addition and carried. The 'following new members were, elected: Messrs K. S. McDonald, Roy Cowan, F. Vercoe, K. A. Gillanders, and F. P. Moorhouse,