FARMERS’ UNION.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 95, 22 April 1912, Page 5

FARMERS’ UNION.

AN INTERESTING ADDRESS

<Per Press Associations

Ashburton, April’ 21. In moving the adoption of 'the report and balaiice'-sheet at thq annual meeting of the' .Ashburton branch ot the Farmers’ Uijiion this afternoon, the Chairman (Mi’- <3> W. Headley) congratulated the farming community bn the' position* they' fo'und thehiselveb, 'in that dgy, ( After the'close of hilothOr tear. 'The ‘position Vis','. fairly satis l and, this could not be said at tne same time last year, when the failure of the crops and the scarcity of feed made the position of the farmer a very trying one. When spring came they were carrying insufficient stock to consume the feed, and this was responsible for light wool clips. The sea'phn just 1 ended had,- however, 1 been very isucdhssfill, And the plains farmer had 'never had a year like it. The yields of graili ’ Had been phenomenal. '< The 'labour-question WSts : again before them' and he referred to it because of an article that had*appeared in the Guardian calling attention■ to bad workmanship in building stacks. What war jsaid was quite true, and what was worse than that the same thing applied to other branches of farming work. He had that morning seen some ploughing that was disgraceful. It seemed that men had lost pride in their work, and with regard to stacking, they could not get that efficiency and knowledge in a workman that was necessary. He knew a mart of 75 yyars of age who had had to build his own stack because he could not' get a competent man to do the work. It was not the farmers’ faulf that the work was done in such a perfunctory way. The prices of staple products were good, and there were prospects, with a probability of Continental markets being thrown open, of even better prees. With regard to dairying, the outlook was distinctly eood, and ho believed that in a short time thev would find more farmers devoting their attention to dairying. Speaking of the political situation, Mr Leadley said that he did not think it was ouitc fair that the hew Ministry should have been subjected to so much carping'criticism as had been levelled at it. He saw no reason for the sneers at the Hon. Thomas 'Mackenzie, who, he thought, should be commended for his courage in stepping into the breach. The same things Hint were being said of him had been said of Mr. Scddon. who had falsified all statements made against him. _ Dim thing stood out preeminently, and was the maintenance of the standdard of exports. The fact that our exnorts had fallen away by £1.000,000 called for serious attention. Another matter to be considered was the large proportion of people who lived in towns, instead of helping to fructify tho land.