The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, MAY 20, 1880. A CORN EXCHANGE FOR SOUTH CANTERBURY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 256, 20 May 1880, Page 2

The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, MAY 20, 1880. A CORN EXCHANGE FOR SOUTH CANTERBURY.

The present depression in the grain trade is- such as calls for enquiry. It is no unusual thing—notivithstandi g the prominent i.dvertisumentsiu the papers, stating ilia* .so->niil-so are cash buyers of all kinds of grain—to hear f rmers say that they cannot soil their oats, or barley, or even tl eir wheat, unless at a sacrifice. Why is this?, we are often askecl. Our re| ly is— There is only n limited'number of buyers, *jf nrmeHy there .were i-everal. This season, it is said, there is only one, and that one*' "as a n-.tural consequence, turns his nose -up -at p% er .competition existectrEe wbwdhave handled in a very <,mmn<mm?nwr r the sailor who asked the gold-ffrpßer win t he would - -.**|fPvf%rlr* a nugget as* b*i<fas" that, holding mitra brawny arm, be received - will. 1 lie greatest courtesy, invited into the best chamber, and treated to the best of every, thing. The sequel, though, is noc like the sailor's ; they have not to go out to dig for it. The farmers have an abundance of grain of al' kinds, but can find no buyers. Why is there only one buyer 1 we ask ourselves. Is the bank, or banks, supporting only ene man, or one firm 1 It looks like it. However, the producers have the mattor in their own hands. In Christ church this occurred once or twice, but now it i 8 done away with. The fanners would not st'-nd it, and resolved to form a Farmers' Club. That club, or rather Corn kx lnngf, lias been a great blesssing to the. Nortu Canteibury farmers, and South Canterbury as well, to our. know ledge. Farmers in ibis part have sent their grain, year alter year, to this Corn Exchange, and l.ave received from 3d to 6d per bushel more for various kinds of oats, wheat and barley, than they c uld obtain from the grain merchants ther<\ Why. then, should South Canterbury not have a Farmers "• Club, or a Corn Exchange ? An attempt was made at Winchester lately to form a Fanners' Club : the day was stormy, and •he meeting collapsed. We regret this.because although it seems to us next to impossible to form there an associati. n r-f the kind required, we would have liked to see what material there was to work upon. No one, we think, will accuse U 3 of being devoid of patriotism for our own particular dislrict ; but we never offer a factious opposition to any good work because it c-nnot be carried out at our own doors. ISow, it seems to us that _Timaru is the only place in South Canterbury where a Corn E.-.Cuango can be established. Tin re we have most of the merchants »*h>> de-d with Ihe farmers ; ■there live th<»--e who are likely to be shareholders ; and there farmers r rom all parts of the district meet ot ce a week •„ and there is, therefore, no denying (now thnt the Milford Harbor scheme is shelved)

ti at we must aci-jt Timaru as the Capital c f the S>'inh. Won d i' "of, then, ben good thing to call a meeting, say in some 'of t e leadi g iiiHichants' rooms, at an early dati-, to lake steps for th? initiation of this import tit and highly necessary pro*e tiv«e hi'-asm---. We ; re no protectionists in the piopei meaning of the w. rd,

bu> solf-d fence is a duty tliat devolves on ofeery man, and the farmers are fully jus-

in taking steps to prevent themselves from, being ruined by the avariciousness of thousands who profess to be their friends. The matter has our full-st sympathy, and we shall be glad to lend a helping-hand in the form tion of such a useful and imperatively necessary institution. Yar after year the increase of grain must and will go on, and year after year the same impl 'sant features will present themselves m the grain trade. It i-< an unfortunate f;ict that the farmers in South Canterbury are slow in their movements connected with public matters ; but we think they will see the necessity of taking action in the way we have indicated if they mean to hold a roof above their heads. We shall be glad to receive any communications upon the subject from f nrmers and others ; mear time, hope the matter will not be lost sight of.