FARMERS AND COOPERATION.
<». A Conference Discussion. The Auckland provincial conference of the New Zealand Farmers' Union last week had an interesting discussion on co-operation. Mr Flanagan, on behalf of the Mangatawhiri Valley and Drury branches, brought forward resolutions in favour of co-operation among farmers on sound and businesslike methods. His first proposal was in the direction of starting a land and estate agency in Auckland, members of the Farmers' Union to b». given a rebate on the usual rates. His second suggestion was to establish a central cooperative store in Auckland, each member of the Farmers' Union to be canvassed to take up shares. These proposed undertakings should be run for the benefit of the union members. Some might suggest that this was rather selfish, but he was sure that the best thing they could do was to take a leaf out of the book of the Labour unions, who only considered themselves, and had assumed a strength of something like 50,000 in the Dominion These co-operative branches should be entirely for the benefit of the Farmers' Union, which would then become looked up to, and membership would be run after. They must stick together and consider themselves. Mr Mclnnis, in seconding, said this co-operative idea was just the thing to revive the union. Mr Graham suggested a scheme of advances to settlers on the principle of building societies. As an amendment, Mr Allen Bell moved in the direction of asking the executive to establish a co-operative association on the line of that in Canterbury. He thought Mr Flanagan's idea of confining the profits to the union members was too narrow. To start such a society as he proposed would require a capital of £IOO,OOO, but he was sure the public would be willing to subscribe it when they knew the benefits to be derived. They would at once save the middleman's profit, which was about 20 per cent. They must start in a big way, and put themselves beyond conmetition. Mr Duxfield favoured starting the land agency business proposed by Mr Flanagan, as it was one that closely affected the farmers.
Mr Moore (Mahoenui), who raised a laugh by explaining that he had come a hundred mile 3 to let go a chick he had been hatching for twenty years, said the crux of the whole thing was cheap money. He thought they should pool the loans required by the farmers throughout the Dominion, and borrow en bloc direct from London. He had no faith in these co-operative schemes. What the farmer wanted was cheap money. Mr Boddie supported co-operation in regard to farmers' own produce, but he had seen many failures when the farmer went in for the distributing business, _ which was really outside his arena. Mr F. Col beck said things in Auckland were costing the farmers thirtythree per cent, more than they should, simply because the farmers were not united. Mr Schmitt (secretary) said the feeling among the branches he had visited favoured some co-operative scheme on the lines suggested by Mr Makgill. In order to allow members to consider the important question of cooperation, the resolutions before the meeting were withdrawn, and, on the motion of Mr Makgill, a special committee was set up to draw up a report at the earliest opportunity, such report to be submitted to the various branches.
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King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 265, 4 June 1910, Page 5
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557FARMERS AND COOPERATION. King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 265, 4 June 1910, Page 5
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