N.Z. FARMERS' UNION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2895, 8 September 1909, Page 19

N.Z. FARMERS' UNION.

CLUTHA BRANCH. At a meeting of the Clutha. branch of the X.Z. Farmers' Union, Mr Adam Ilouliston. presiding, the Secretary reported that 65 members had paid their subscription. It was resolved to ask the Provincial Executive for a statement of all moneys collected : and disbursed during the past year, and | also the number of members m Otago. Con- j eideration of a communication from Mr . M'Naught, technical wool instructor, in re | starting classes under the auspices of the j union, was deferred. The S*cretary re- i ported having spoken, to Mr A. M'Pherson, j director of experiments, Department of Agriculture, regarding experiments on tho farms. The Government paid all expenses of analysis, and supplied manure and seeds, providing the ground was wonked under theL* supervision. — Messrs A. Houli6ton and 1 JR. Campbell agreed, to havo experi-

ments carried out on their farms. Th# matter of exchange on cheques was mentioned It waa considered that business done in Balclutha by Dunedin agency firms should be paid free of exchange. Th# matter was held over till a fuller meeting. LAWRENCE BRANCH. At a meeting of the Lawrence branch of the N.Z. Farmers' Union, Mr A. Eraser, who presided, pointed out the" necessity for more frequent meetings to deal with, questions of great importance looming up. The town unions were active, and were making a great effort to induce the Government to place the whole burden of taxation on the land. The bag question was also a serious one to the farmers, for owing to the' numiber of sizes being introduced' they were becoming so mixed that it was difficult for farmers to handle them, and further there was, on account of their inadaptabjeness for general purposes, a strong probability of the whole cost of them falling on the farmer, as th» mailers and grain merchants were not prepared to pay for them. - It was decided to. ask Mr M'Naoight for definite particulars as to the texans on which* he was prepared ±o give instructions in # wool-classing if a class were formed. v After discussion it was unanimously resolved to ask the Provincial Executive to ■ wait as a deputation "on the Minister of Railways to urge the alteration of the regulation as to size of bags, to provide for a 44in by 26£ in bag as the standard bag, with the rigiht to fill the bag. It was decided to protest against -Any-fur-ther taxation being placed upon* land. Members were of opinion the burden of taxation on land was- already too heavy. Local taxation, it was pointed out, had more than doubted. Reference was also made to the )-»TQe|-» vftlna^*<yi places*! on I&J2jclThe action of the Dominion Conference in protesting against the injustices that are being "perpetrated by the State Coal Department 'Tinder cover of the Crown Suites Act, as instanced in the cases of Barton v. The King, and the Now Zealand larmers' Cooperative Distributing -Company v. The King, in which grievous bodily injury had been done to a citizen and serious damage to property, and urging that representations. v be made to Parliament to award fair compensation for loss sustained and to amend the Crown Suites Act in order to place tho State trading enterprises on an equal footing with private traders in respect to liability for any acts of damage resulting from such operations, was endorsed.