THE FARMERS PARLIAMENT.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXII, Issue 8854, 3 July 1907, Page 2

THE FARMERS PARLIAMENT.

TN Freehold Option. Per Press Association, Wellington, July 2.

The Farmers’ Union passed a resolution that no form of tenure would give satisfaction which does not include the option of freehold. It was also decided that Crown tenants on Z,i,p. tenure should be given the right to acquire the freehold of their holdings oii payment by'the lessee of tile original' value and payment of the difference on the la.p. and the 5 per cent, charged to tenants’with right of purchase, and d(so that tenants under the Lands for Settlein.nt Act be allowed to purchase at original valuation provided all conditions imposed have been complied with. The Conference further decided, “ that this Conference is opposed to the proposal to set aside all remaining Crown lands as endowments in the hands of Government for any specific purpose with the excep tiop of purely pastoral lands ’■

July 3. At tlio Farmers’ Union Conference to-day advantage was taken of the presence of Mr Ritchie, Secretary to the Agricultural Department, to bring under his notice a number of remits relating to agricultural matters. In regard'to- Auckland's suggestion that agricultural statistics should be collected through the Post Office,, as is done with sheep returns, Mr Ritchie said that the experiment had been made ip Mastertou and Nelson, but" so badly' were the returns filled in that they were found to be useless as records, On the motion of Mr Loadley, Canterbury, a resolution was passed setting out that the whole system of collecting and publishing the annual returns of grain production is omin“ ently unsatisfactory and misleading, and urging the Government to obtain from threshing machine owners quapferly ’returns'- of all grain threshed by them. The Conference nogatived'a motion from Qishorne fhat tlm date of making up sheep returns be altered from April 3Qtli tq June 30th. It was 'decided to again request Government to appoint only persons with veterinary knowledge to Chief Stock Inspectorships in each province, and to urge Government to bring in a rule making it compulsory for seedsmen' to guarantee gll seeds sold as true to ‘'and‘"of"the gol’niinatiug power ol a specific pqrcenfiige: ■