FARMERS' UNION CONFERENCE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9155, 31 July 1908, Page 5

FARMERS' UNION CONFERENCE.

RESOLUTIONS PASSED.

BY TELEGRAPH —PKESS ASSOCIATION. WELLINGTON, July 30. At the Farmers' Union Conference to-day resolutions were adopted as follows:—That the noxious weeds Act be enforced and applied equally to Crown and Native lands wherever the same adjoin lands occupied by Europeans; that the department be thanked for its action in the past, and it be asked to carry out the Nox- ' ious Weeds Act wUta greater stringency; that in view of the marked success that has attended the introduction of small owls in the destructin of small birds it is desirable to make some united effort for the importing of a sufficient number for distribution throughout New Zealand and that local bodies which have I power to made a rate for such purposes be urged to take united action accordingly; that in view of the present system or annual sheep-dipp-ing without any strenuous attempt to exterminate the vermin it is desirable to consider what methods can be adopted for securing the absolute extermination of nil sheep parasites; that the Government be asked to endow a chair of agricultural science alone in the universities of the Dominion; that the Government be asked to estal lish experimental farms in the South Island. Fraternal greetings were received from the New South Wales Farmers' and Settlers' Association r.ow in Conference, and a tuitabic reply was ordered to be sent. An interview between the Minister for Lands and a deputation from the New Zealand Farmers' Union' Conference elicited from the Hon. Mr McNab an expression of his willingness to have meetings of Land Boards in large districts such as Otago held fortnightly instead cf monthly. A report to this effect was made to the Conference by Mr Hockley this morning when he also intimated that the Minister acquiesced to a suggestion that the allowance of ten shillings a day was not sufficient to meet fie expenses to which struggling Crown tenants, who were members of Land Boards, were put to in travelling long distances to attend such meetings. Mr McNab was in favour of increasing the allowance, but as it . was fixed by Statute he was personally powerless in thei matter.