FARMERS' UNION.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 17, 20 May 1915, Page 6

FARMERS' UNION.

ANNUAL MEETING,

At the annual, nieeting at Inglewood to-day, the President (Mr Alex Hunter) delivered the'following address:It again falfcs to my lot to give an account to you of my stewardsiup, ; -and I must say to begin with that f have not been able' during the past year to satisfy myself as regards attention to the activities of the Union, and .regret that 1 did not adhere to my intention of a year ago to then retire •from the presidency, an error 1 have no.mind to repeat. I have been absent 'from too many Eexeutive meetings to ' have done justice to the position; and When, from any cause, one's efficiency is impaired, it is his duty to make room for one who will give closer attention to the duties involved. My lapse has been largely due to the pressure of work in connection with the ■Farmers' Co-operative Society, and I suppose I may, on that score, claim your indulgence, for what ~ friend gets is never lost. The forma'tion of this Society must, from our -point of view as farmers, be considered an event of no little importance, marking, as it does, a step forward in co-operation as regards our province. The good results of co-operation on these lines in other parts of the Dominion, '.in Denmark, Holland, and our own Mother Country, show that success is possible ; and if "farmers take a live interest in their Society, such •success Will be assured. The thanks of the farmers are- due to Air fJuckeridge and those gentlemen associated with him in the work of organising the, Society, a task which demanded dogged perservance and the sacrifice of no little time.

i 'Durijjg the year the Union had an opportunity to show sympathy with the sufferers in collection with the Huutly disaster, and rose to the occasion in a worthy manner, the fund being- liberally contributed 10. As regard^-organisation, we are no further ahead than we'were a year ago, but it is to be hoped that some step forward will be made in the near future. The. Kaponga branch has been resuscitated, and it is\a pleasure to al) to again welcome'delegates from a. branch' which in the past has supplied live men, and' which we trust it will continue to do. Our thanks are due to Messrs Dunn and Sim, who showed their devotion to the Union by attending, in the face of very severe weather, the meeting called for the purpose of re-forming the branch.

This occasion cannot be allowed to pass withot some mention of the most excellent work being done, by MiBrowne in collection with agricultural instruction in South Taranaki. He is an enthusiast, a man of ability and tremendous energy, who. misses no opportunitp of increasing' his knowledge ■and consequent usefulness by study, jjersonal experiment and investigation, and observation of the experience of others; and I. consider that this dominion offers no position in that line which he would not fill with red. It is to the interest of the province and of the Dominion that such men receive every encouragement and assistance. ' Among measures passed by our Legislature during the last few years are quite a number which this Union has steadily' advocated. It has only been steadily advocated, ft has only been through hammering away that we have: succeeded in having these proposals carried into effect, and the results should encourage us to persist 'with others—among them the Staldions Bill, which this Union and the A. and P. Societies have almost unanimously been demanding for many years. In many cases the delay has not been altogether a bad. thing, for it has resulted ill proposals being viewed and criticised from every standpoint, and when the Provincial and Dominion Conferences have "pulled a measure to pieces two or three times, if the Union still ment of the day, whatever it may be, win not lightly throw it aside. I do not intend to recount the list of these, attainments, but would draw the attention of delegates to some of them which are set forth inside the backcover of the Farmers' Union Advocate, which 1 hope you all take and read. It is a paper well worthy of your attention, the subscription is very moderate, and .Air Sim will be only tocf pleased to take the names of any who do not already subscribe but are willing to help the Union in this way. Our worthy Dominion President has, in recognition of his good work in connection with matters agricultural and pastoral—the main industries of this country—had conferred upon him the Order of Knighthood, upon vvhih the Union as a body, I feel sure, sincerely congratulates him. Sir James Wilson has also been called to fill the position of first president of the Board of Agriculture, a position to which be will add dignity, and in which his wide knowledge should have the scope it merits.

For, I understand, the first time i»

the history of the Union, apart from conference titles, the Dominion Executive met in February last at Welling-, ton, when I had the honor of being present. The meeting was well attended, and dealt with many matters of interest, the result ot which has already been conveyed to the Provincial Executive. It will not be out of place here to urge delegates to do all in their power to keep before farmers the duty as well as the advantages ol supporting the Fanners' .Mutual Insurance Association, lb does not receive the support it deserves. Why every farmer who is free to do so does not insure with the Mutual I cannot understand. Owing to the advocacy of the Union power has been granted to the Mutuals to extend their operations to accident risks, and when the arrangements are completed to open up that line of business, I trust that farmers will show their loyalty by making it a success. And lastly 1 come to the topic which, almost to the exclusion of all others, absorbs the attention of not only we Britons and our Allies, but of practically the whole world—and especially of the Prussians. When war broke out in August last industries and commerce were somewhat dislocated by such a rude jolt. This, however, was only for a snort time, and the Dominion and the Empire quickly settled down and adjusted themselves to the position, any evidences of panic quickly disappearing. The Farmers' Union was, particularly in the early stages of the trouble, enabled, oil account of its organisation, to materially assist the Government in the despatch of the Expeditionary Forces. Men, money, horses, fodder, - meat and other foodstuffs were provided without stint. On short notice farmers with agricultural lahd rushed in extra crops to provide food, and how necessary this was has only become really apparent as the, shortage of cereals has been revealed. The devastation so ruthlessly carried out by the invaders of plucky little Belgium left a starving, homeless, and outraged people. J\ew Zealanders have again risen to the occasion, and given freely of money, food, and clothing, and will continue to do so. And we must not forget, that Servia and Poland are in much the same straits as Belgium, Servia being from a hygienic point of view in a deplorable condition. It is considered by many that there will be local distress as time goes on, and after a discussion by the executive, Mr Thomson, our worthy ex-trea-surer, set the bail rolling by making a donation, and this has been followed by Mr Mills and others, while the Otakeho branch hajt taken the matter up; and the other day sent in a cheque. The drought has hit the Dominion, or a great part of it, pretty hard, though our position as a whole is not so bad as Australia's. However, Hawke's Bay, Wairarapa, parts of Auckland, Canterbury, and Marlborough have had a very bad time of it, and the shortage of shipping space has made the position worse. Taranaki has less cause to complain than most parts, and the exceptional prices brought about by the war, combined with a shortage of cereals and beef supplies, has made the income of the Dominion very large indeed. Jt is therefore our duty and privilege to assist to the utmost limit, and 1 do not doubt for a moment that the farming community will do its share. The wastage in men at the front is very heavy, and we must face the position and keep the ranks closed up, "each stepping where his comrade stood." Our Empire has, with' practically one accord, sunk all minor differences and buckled to the task with a determination to uphold the right, and a firm conviction of the justice of our cause. We'all hope and pray for peace, but only peace with honor. The calmness of true pteace is only consistent with strength in one form or another, and should not be. confused with the stillness which is only stagnation, or the acquiescence which but betokens the spirit of the slave. We cannot but be proud of the clean record of the allied trpops,' and that in the face of barbarities which almost baffle the imagination. When we went to school we despised those who did not "play the game," and now that we have grown older we Cannot descend to the level set by those directing the efforts of our foes. The hour of trial has revealed a strength of character will be the greatest factor,^' I think, in the overthrow, which 1 do n'o%doubt, of the cult of blood and iron. "The care exercised in the selection of our own New Zealand troops is only a by our military leaders of the import* ance of its factor, and has been p.'stifled( I'think you will all admit, by the undying glorious record fch.-y are vuw establishing.