A GOING CONCERN.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3562, 26 August 1920, Page 4

A GOING CONCERN.

N.Z. FARMERS' CO-OP DISr. TRD3UTING COY. '* } MEETING AT TAIHAPE. . '■'

A meeting of the N.Z. Fanners' Cooperative Distributing Company Ltd., was held in the Gretna Hall' yesterday afternoon, Mr. Jas. Smith presiding. The chairman, in opening the meeting, said they were ftsked to attend that day chiefly to meet the newly appointed General Manager of the' Coy., Mr. S. Ferguson, a!lso, he understood, to discuss generally the affairs of the Company. With Mr. Ferguson were the Chairman of Directors and several of his eo-alrectors, who would address the meeting. Mr. J. J. Bryce, the chairman of directors, referred very briefly to the past history of the Coy. All he wished was to assure his audience that everything that he himself had done was always with the best interests of the

company in view. He referred to Mr. Ferguson's appointment and told the meeting that the company's new manager came to them with the Tight kind of experience to make a thorough success of the farmers' business. He had been with one of the most successful co-opera-tive companies in the Dom'nion —had grown up with it, and had seen it develop from a small concern with very little capita'! to a business with an annual turn-over of about £3.000.000 and a subscribed capital of over £500,000. As to the policy of the directors Mr. Bryce said it was"fb be a progressive .one. and his whole board were out to go develop their company that their farmer shareholders would receive from it the best possible .service. This required cash, but he was confident that the Wellington province would not do less in this aspeet tk?a other smaller and less prosperous districts. Mr. Ferguson, General Manager of the Coy.,briefly thanked Mr. Bryce for his complimentary remarks, and saidhe did not know if he deserved such praise. At all events, it would be hisaim to live up to what had been said., and to further t.ke Company's interests in every possible way. There was one point he wished to make quiteclear. Everyone knew there had been unpleasant happenings in the past iifc connection with the Coy's. affairs. He was quite new to. them. He could not be .held responsible for anyone else's difference, and he was not going, tointerest himself m any way m anything but the prosecution of the Comipany's business. At the eoneflusion of his address, he asked all concerned to pull together and assist him in building up a powerful organisation and he appealed especially te those successful farmers who were in a position to help by taking up substantial parcels of shares not to forget the day when they were themselves small men and thankful for a helping hand. Through the* Company they could assist themselves toy welding together the farmers' interests in a concern which he hoped in the near future would be second tonone .of the kind in numerical strength' ! or financial stability. Mr. G. L. Marshall, another director,. in a forcefufl speech, briefly described the qualifications of the Company's directors who were all successful men with a close knowledge of what the farmers .required. Many of them were very busy public men. who were acting las. cbairmn «of county eounfeils. freezing companies and harbour boards.. Their Chairman, Mr. Bryce, had occupied many public positions, and he thought they were fortunate in having such a strong board. As a farmer in the district he was aware that the local facilities the Company had to offer must be improved, and he looked forward to the establishment of a full branch of the Company at Taihape. It was largely a matter of sufficient support and he was sure that; would be forthcoming. It was the directors' object to establish a branch as soon as the district made it possible. He woufld Teiterate the chairman's remarks regarding Mr. Ferguson. Their new General Manager had only been in office a very short time, but he could tell them, the board was pariacularfly plased with their choice.,

Mr. Wm. Perry expressed lis pleasure at seeing so many present. It was I a privSlege to "be allowed to meet the farmers of the various districts in this way, and he felt their Board should avail themselves of every opportunity to get into touch with the rank' and file of the Company. It was his intention, and he knew it was also Mr. Ferguson's intention to do so. He. I was a new director although he had. LfoT a long time been a small share- ! holder. He had had £IOO in the Company, and had not been, satisfied with the progress they were making; and

| he had found it difficult to keep himself really interested. Recently he had decided to invest much more heavily, ,and do his utmost to push the farmers' interests through the instrumentaility of their business company. Properly run, it would bring very big advantages. He had been one of the committee which had t'favptted N.Z. looking for their gener? 1 . manager, and he was struck with the great progress other

similar companies had made in territory not nearly so rich' and extensive as Wellington. Take the North Auckland (&>., trading in a district sparsely populated and without even good roads. There they had a progressive company well run in the face) of natural disadvantages, and it drove home to him their own shortcomings. The "Wellington Company should be ihe largest and most successful thing of its kind in the country. Sane cooperation through business companies •was going to be the salvation of the New Zealand farmer. Properly combined, the shipping and trusts could be met and fought successfully, wheras individually they were more or less at the mercy of groups of men whose combination was superior, Mr. Hay, the Company's broker, breifly outlined a number of advantages accruing to a well run co-opera-tive company, and concluded by introducing Mr. E. B. Kilgour, who was in charge of the Marton-Taihape district, wjth a view to increasing the farmers' * shareholding in the Company.