FARM SCHOOL AT PUTARURU.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 298, 25 July 1929, Page 4

FARM SCHOOL AT PUTARURU.

SUCCESSFUL FUNCTION. Addresses by Mr. Stephens. The first farm school held in Putaruru eventuated on Tuesday of last week, when Mr. F. B. Stephens, B. Com., tutor-organiser for the W.E.A., gave addresses on “ How to Read Balance-sheets ” in the morning and “ Co-operative Marketing ” in the afternoon.

Mr. A. R. Vosper, president of the Putaruru branch of the Farmers’ Union, presided over a fair attend-

ing , dealing with dairy company balance-sheets Mr. Stephens said his object was not to criticise but to show the farmer how to analyse a balance-sheet and read it intelligently. Mr. Stephens then took a balancesheet of a dairy company and explained its working. An interesting discussion followed. In the afternoon Mr. Stephens continued the school, giving an intensely-interesting address on “ Cooperative Marketing.” In dealing with the subject Mr. Stephefis made it clear that he did not intend to pillory the present system but to compare it with the methods operating in Denmark and America. After dealing exhaustively with marketing in the two countries mentioned above the lecturer devoted some time to the effects of cooperative marketing in New Zealand, giving it as his opinion that the effort was not given a fair opportunity to prove successful. He said interference was unfortunate and had the ! co-operators been left to themselves I success would almost certainly have I been attained. He thought there was ' too much interference by the State. He considered the time would come when State interference would be reduced to a minimum and then cooperative marketing of farm produce would be renewed with very successful results.

After answering a number of questions Mr. Stephens was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for his instructive addresses.