FARMERS' UNION.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 March 1917, Page 3

FARMERS' UNION.

rARANAIU EXECUTIVE. The usual monthly meeting of the Taranaki executive of the Farmers' Union was held in Hawera on Thursday, when there were present: Messrs. K. Dunn (chairman), E. Maxwell, R. Larabie, J. Swindlc-hurst, A. E. Washer, W. Duff, B „Orr, and Geo. H. iiuekeridgc. CARRIAGE OF LIME. A communication was received from Sir James Wilson, chairman of the Board of Agriculture, in reply to communication from the executive re carriage of agricultural lime on railways so far as it affected sea-borne lime. The Hoard would be pleased to obtain from the proprietors of lime works intending to ship lime by sea to a port in Taranaki a statement of tho prices proposed 10 be charged for on trucks at the port '.,■ which they proposed to ship, and how ■ i :cli of the price was mado up by f- -ight, wharfages, and other charges. TV: Board was of opinion that the Railway Department's present attitude was most unreasonable, and when the information they were now asking for came to hand iho Beard would again take the question up with the Railway Department. -. The secretory said that so far he had not been ae'e to procure the information require.'. Ho liad endeavored to see Mr. C'ow'rn. of Hawera, who was the only )v>>.!! he knew who could furnish this, 'out hr.il net yet been able to interview hb~. S-r.wkintr to Mr. Wilkinson, he (Mr. Wilkinson) expressed the opinion that ;;,.' TiaHway Department was not likely '.■ai'.? any notice of any recom- !>•';.'. •■■ m'xle to It either by the rav:r.t: .■ 'V.ion or the Board of Agriculture. Mr. Wilkinson further remarked, a-.nl :t. was a matter of con-,iJer.:,blr' iin-;-oiu'.r.;e to farmers, that whilst a farmer was permitted to get a minimum quantity of 'ix tons, making a truckload, it was i permissible for two or more farmers i> combine and get a In;.-'.: lo.nl between them. If the Railway Department discovered that two or more farmers were combining in getting a truck of lime they would then charge tl em '' I'j'e the ordinary freight. A fanner i-jiild only avail himself of the prc.-r-::t height rate on a truck of cultural lime if ho were going to use the whole of it hinnelf. •'l3 not that absurd!' said a member. Could anybody, conceive anv reason for such regulations? The lime was being got for the benefit of agriculture, and bee.:use a man required only three or fi-:-.-,■ tons he was debarred from getting it. Was there any possible reason why two or three farmers should not combine and get a truck?" Mr. Maxwell suggested that the =pereiary communicate with the Ra!hv;v. Detriment and ascerta n whether the position actually was as indicated by Mr. Wilkinson. The suggestion was agreed to. FARMERS' BOOKKEEPING. Mr. Maxwell desired the executive to take into careful consideration a , .:r of very great importance to f; vs, namely, the matter of farmers keeping proper books of accounts. It was absolutely essent'al in their own interests that farmers sliru'd keep proper books, but the difficult was to devise a method that would answer their requirements, ann yet be simple enough to avoid much work. The farmer had to .work long hours, and came home very tired, and even if they understood a more elaborate system of bookkeeping they would not be in a physical state to ma.ee all the necessary entries. Having these facts in mind, he set to work to devise some simple system, and he felt that he had succeeded in doing so, and ho hoped the executive would urge farmers to adopt some such simple method. In the -great majority of cases no books at all were kept, and in others only statements of receipts and expenditure, and these by themselves were practically useless when endeavoring to arrive at a man's pos'tion. Tho fact of the matter was that throughout the length and breadth of the country the farming community did not treat their affairs as business affairs, and did not keep proper records. There was another dangerous feature, and that was tho foolishness of displaying tiie big cheques that some dairy farmers had received, and the result was that the people in Wellington and elsewhere got the idea that farmers were rolling in wealth and making a tremendous lot of money. He was pretty sure that, the %d butter-fat tax was a direct result of that impression. They must not overlook tho fact that when the war was over there was going to be a tremendous load imposed upon the farmers. There would be interest on their large loans to be met; huge pension '' 's to be paid, and a condition of affal; ould be established that would mean that a tremendous amount of money would have to be found. The fanning community was quite prepared to pay its fair share, bub before they could determine precisely what that-fair share was they must first of all know exactly how their own affairs stood. They did not know that at present; there was a 1 .ble vagueness. If a dairy iarmer got a cheque for £7O or £BO it looked to him a big thing, but lie never consideied what proportion of it was profit or how little there really was to represent a fair return for the number of hours he and all the members of his family had worked --- the farm to produce it. The far community should establish its pc i, and each individual farmer should know precisely just what he was doing. To assist in this being properly done, he would ask the Farmers' Union to urge upon individual farmers the necessity of keeping some simple but efficient books of accounts. Every farmer should pay his fair share of taxation whatever it was, but unfortunately a! very inequitable state of affairs existed at present. Some small farmers were being called upon to pay taxation far in excess of their rightful proportion, whilst others who should pay were avoiding their just liabilities. A man who was making war profits and avoiding his equitable responsibilities to the State was just as- much a shirker as the man who would not go to the war. Every man and every farmer should pay his just and fair share and no more.

ihe chairman: Did I understand you to «ay that the keeping of books showing receipts and expenditure was not enough? Mr. Maxwell said that a mere statement of receipts and expenditure would not show a man's position. There must be taken into account the position of bis assets and liabilities, such as the value qf his stock at the beginning and end of the year, and so forth.

.Mr. Snndlehurst said they wanted ev' • man to be taxed equally; the tax s nt was decidedly unfair. .vlaxwell said absolutely

convinced that the property holders were going to pay for this war. There was not a shadow of doubt' about that. As he had mentioned before the Military Service Board the other day, the farmers wanted to see every shirker go, and tiie farmers wotp willing to assist the Board to get men: but, as members of tho producing foh.mr.nity, it was their business to see •> vital industry, like the production or cheese, maintained It was the dutv of the Efficiency Boards to find tho labor. The chairman asked the executive to bring before the members of the branches the absolute ueee-sity for keening proper books and making adequate returns, and also to keep copies of their returns. ANNUAL CONFERENCE. The date of the next annual Provincial Conference was fixed for Thursday. May 17, commencing at 10.30 a.m., and Stratford was decided upon as the place of meeting. The various branches are to be asked to forward remits to the executive before next meeting.