FARMERS’ UNION.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 January 1922, Page 8

FARMERS’ UNION.

MEETING OF TARANAKI EXECUTIVE.

The monthly meeting of the Taranaki executive of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union was held at Hawera yesterday. Present: Messrs. F. Mills (chairman), H. Hodge, H. A. Sutherland, T. J. Allen, J. Cleaver, B. Orr, and J. Swindlehurst. Apologies for absence were received from Messrs. R. Dunn and E. Maxwell.

The chairman referred to the recent sad bereavement of one of the members of the executive, Mr. Owen, and members passed a motion of sympathy with Mr. and Mrs. Owen.

Mr. 0. J. Hawken, M.P., forwarded a letter from the Minister of Agriculture (Hon. W. Nosworthy) stating that the sum of £75 had already been granted for the purpose of assisting boys’ and girls’ agricultural clubs, and regretting that he had been unable to accede to a request from the Taranaki executive for a grant over and above that sum. He recognised, however, that when clubs were satisfactorily carried out some financial assistance from the Government was fully justified. The secretary (Mr. G. Buckeridge) stated the expenditure for v the last year had been £7O, including £43 for prizes. Including the sum of £B3 5s for prizes, the expenditure for the coming year would be about £2OO. Various school districts had subscribed £27 17s, and the union had now applied to the Government for a grant of £3OO.

Mr. J. W. Deem, of the Department of Agriculture, waited on the meeting to discuss the financial position of the clubs, and he pointed out that the dej partment wished the people of the disi trict to support the dubs to a certain * extent. The union, after professing to i have carried on the scheme by itself I last year, had applied for a refund of ! all the expenses incurred, and this was i hardly fair. It was not desired that the clubs should be run by the department. The Government wished to get down to a basis from which to make grants to the various districts. Gov> ernment support had to be on a definite basis, so that every part of New Zealand would receive the same treatment.

The chairman said that the union had made a mistake in applying for a refund for the whole of the expenses. li, should be quite possible to raise money if the matter were taken in hand. The department last year had spent £45 in seeds and manure in addition to travelling expenses for officials, and of the £75 granted this year about £5O would be for seeCs and manure for Taranaki, so they did not do badly.

A vote of thanks to Mr. Deem for his attendance was carried.

During the discussion- it was remarked that the union needed more members, and, on the motion of Mr. H. Hodge, a committee consisting of Messrs. Dunn, Mills, Allen. Sutherland. Hodge, Cleaver, Orr and the secretary was set tip to’ canvass for new members.