THE FARMERS' CO-OP. SOCIETY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 30, 2 September 1916, Page 3

THE FARMERS' CO-OP. SOCIETY.

WELCOME TO NEW GENERAL MANAGER. The directors of the Farmers' Coop. Organisation• Society gave a pleasant little dinner' on Thursday evening to their employees in this district (reports the Hawora Star) on the occasion of the arrival of the Association's new general manager, Mr Lynskey. Employees and directors were present from all the main centres in South Taranaki, upwards of sixty sit,Ling down at the table. Mr A. Hunter, chairman of directors, presided, and alter dinner briefly welcomed Mr Lynskey. They would all, he said, join with him in extending to Mr Lynskey a hearty welcome to ITawera and to the Taranaki district, and in that welcome he would associate also Mrs Lynskey and family. He trusted their sojourn in these parts would be a happy one, and he believed they would find warm places in the hearts of the people ol this district. They would soon find, too, a place in the social life of the place. He trusted that he and his family would make as good friends in this part of the Dominion as they had made in the place they had come from. (Applause.) In his native district—Canterbury—Mr Lynskey had held his own in the various walks of life, both in business ami in sport, and had shown his public spiriledness in connection with the various concerns down ( south. In sport he had proved himself to be a good athlete,

he had represented South Canterbury on the football field and was a champion runner, having won championship events on two occasions. He had officiated as treasurer of the A. and P. Association in Canterbury, and the remarks made by members of that association when he severed his connection with it were very complimentary to him. In the matter of business he (Mr Hunter) could not do better than repeat the remarks made to him by a well-known Canterbury farmer and breeder when ho heard that Mr Lynskey was coming to. manage the Farmers' Co-op. here. "He will make a success of it," said this farmer; "at least, if he does not it will be the first thing he 4 has not

made a success of." (Applause.) "I wish to give the statement that Mr Lynskey is a German an emphatic .denial/' said Mr Hunter: Mr-Lyns-key is a :New Zealander, born in Canterbury, and his father was clerjk of the court at Kaliapoi for many years, and originally lie came from Ireland. Mr Lynskey has some Polish blood in his vein, and every Briton is proud t 6 recognise anyone from Poland. (Applause.) Some v of the most famous men in history owe their parentage to that country; the people there had suffered more at the hands of the nation "responsible for the present war than any other nation in the work!, not even excepting Belgium." Continuing his remarks, Mr Hunter said that the directors thought that I when \Mr Lynskey came to take up his duties here that it would be a fitting occasion to call the staff and the directors together so that they might meet their .new general manager and

'also meet each other. There hid been a good many changes in. the personnel of their stall' right from, the time of their taking over the business; the war had made tUat inevitable, and besides that the concern had 'been a rapidly developing one, constantly necessitating the tilling of new positions, and this bad made the work of the staff more difficult. In conclusion, he would just say that ho was voicing ho sentiments of all the directors of Lhe Association when he stated that they thoroughly appreciated the way that their staff had risen to the occasion and carried on the business in the face of all these difficulties. (Applause.)

Mr Jack Hobbs said that he had very much pleasure, on rehab of the staff in welcoming Mr Lynskey, as their general manager. In regard to their general managers in the past they had been rather unfortunate. They started with Mr Gillies, but his health soon broke down, and then Mr Holder's health also broken down; ho trusted .Mr Lynskey had a stronger constitution than these two gentlemen, oi tiiat the staff would behave themselves better. (Laughter.) It was unfortuuate in a growing concern that they should have been deprived of a manager for so long an interval, hilt they seem to have drifted along notwithstanding, and drifted pretty well, too. They had had a big season, more particularly in dairy clearing sales, and he would say, without fear of contradiction, that no other firm in Taranaki had taken as much money in June and July as the Farmers' Co-op. (Hear, hear.) That spoke very well for both the inside and outside staffs. From his own experience he could say that the concern had a very energetic-, painstaking and thoroughly conscientious staff from the office boy right up; they were all genuine "tryers," and the new general manager would, find that they were not quite as rough as they might look. (Laughter.) Mr Lynskey thanked the speakers cordially for the welcome they bad given him. He would assure'-the members of the staff that anything he could do to promote' their interests, he would do. (Applause:) Of course, his first duty would certainly be to the firm, but his second duty would be to the 'staff. In the old firm he had worked right up from office boy, and the live and twenty years he had spent with them had been the happiest ho could possibly have had. He had most pleasant relationships not only with the directors, but with the. staff a 150,., and he hoped he would h similar experience here. •|Btfßedm"eV«t|) Taranaki, full of confidence ;'ho believed they had a district here most abundant, and a Co-op. Association which would pull together. He felt certain they wonld win out in the end, and range themselves alongside their sister institutions .in the south anil become as big its they were. The co-op. movement in the south had boon going many years longer than: this Taranaki Association, but in reviewing their' figures and considering that they had been in operation only three years/ he considered they had made marvellous strides With the co-operation and assistance of the staff he had every confidence that they would be able to drive this Taranaki Association along

to a successful issue. s - Speaking for Mrs Lynskey and himself, he felt confident that their association with Taranaki would lie of the happiest nature. (Applause.)

During the evening a number ol musical and elocutionary items were given, and were all much appreciated.