FARMERS' UNION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 104, 29 May 1909, Page 5

FARMERS' UNION.

: LAND VALUATION. By TtUgrdpn.—Press Association. Christchurch, Last Night. The provincial conferenece of thfc North Canterbury Farmers' Union decided that the present system of land valuation- is unsatisfactory and often excessive; that the Government be asked to , abolish the mortgage tax:- It was unani. mously agreed to endorse the <offer of a Dreadnought, Mr. Richard. Evan* was elected president, Mr. 0. F. Clothier vis-president, and Messrs David' Jones and Clothier delegates to ithc Dominion Conference.

! NATIVE LANDS QCBSTION. '~ j' Auckland, Last Night, * At to-3»y« conference of the Farra- ■ ttf" Union "deVjfatc?, the following mo- *; 1. i«.submitted'*}' the Hamilton branch, ' «arried:—"That &s the continued , factory position with regard to ■' tI ' >»' ing up of native huidk is causing '. "JvJP Vs« to the Me of the Domin- , j 0 j \k Auckland province in parfci- ■ cular, the « QV ernmcnt be again nrgsd '- *» i,»:«» ,i„ > u °re satisfactory legisla- "•- ttato enah V these land's to "be dealt ' - with -iml thi'r # ie " ativ<! lantls Bc made 4 \W E,IT ,TM° C°ni tribute to kml ra V«. «»« that the van--I \' ous local bodies be *?■»*«» to co-oper-ate with, a commit ** U P tll ° >- Farmers' Union." SOUTHLAND CONi >EBES^E -

Invercargill. I. ' ut *' The eighth annual conferei. ?\ delv ' Kates to tlic Southland provi, x ** l tlt ": ference of the Farmers' Tnion tp-day. The president (Mr. Met,*® 131 ' , ij"hS( opening address said the- w "" k munity had been suffering from dep. ' sion, and farmers had, to some e.vten \i Bufflered a decrease jti the value 01 " rf « 1-, ce and stock. He put down th*l ■ < iation in value of sheep in New at about 4s a head, and as there were 20,000,000 slieep in New Zealand, that meant that stock had depreciated to the amount of £4,000,000. He considered, however, that the depressim >, was only temporary, and had not the least doubt that .within a year or two, £ probably next year, prices would be up to koraewhere aliout their proper level. ' '0 the cause of the depression, Mr. MiQueen pointed out that (speaking ]>ari ticularly of stock in tne sheep-carrying countries) the past year bad beer a r very fine one for fattening, and so it was all over tbe world.! More stock •. was fattened. The Tfsu.lt was that the English market hid-been flooded with mutton, and New Zealand exporters bad -> suffered a little T>y that. There, had 0 also lieen », depression in wool 'which, ?> strange to say, had recovered. He it- . tributed that to the people having econo. v mised last year in their food and worn « their clothes a little longer, but were * f forced to start buying clothing some ' months later, with the result that wool ".' w«nt up. The prospects of the farmers, R in his opinion, were by no means gloomy. W.. rfhere would be a recovery in a short H " time, for the reason that a gradual re V~ duction in stock and an increase of K* people would cause a liigher Tate of W values.