WAIKATO FARMERS' CLUB

Waikato Argus, Volume III, Issue 157, 15 July 1897, Page 3

WAIKATO FARMERS' CLUB

The usual monthly meeting of the above Club was held at Cambridge on Monday evening. There were present:— Messrs H. Gillett (President), E. Allen (vicePresident), J. Gane, Jno. Fisher, W. Tucker, T. A. Hicks, N. I Hunt, W. A. Graham, T. Wells, G. E. Clark, J. W. Souter, S. Harker, J. S. Bond and T. Hartly. New Member.-Mr J. D. P. Morgan was elected a member of the Club. The Horse Parade.—Mr A. J. Storey of the firm McNicol and Co., wrote the secrttaiy : " We purpose holding our annual horse fair in Cambridge on Thursday and Friday, '23rd and 24th September, and would be glad to know if the first day would be suitable for your Club to hold its usual Stallion Parade. Kindly bring the matter up at ycur next meeting and let, us have an answtr so that we can advertise the parade with the horse sale if suitable. We may mention that we made Thursday the first day simply because Wednesday- the usual day—is late train day from Paeroa."—lt was agreed that Thursday would do for the stallion parade, and the secretary was instructed to write Messrs McNicol and Co. to that effect.

Soil Fertility.--Mr H. Buttle, of Sumner, forwarded a copy of the Lyttleton Times containing a report of a lecture on the above subject, which he thought illicit prove of interest to the members of the Club.—A hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr Buttle lor his kindly action.

The Dairying Li dostry.—Mr Spragg's reply to the comments made by Mr Fitchie, Secretary of the Agricultural Department, re the shipment of 70 tons of butter sent from Auckland to Wellington—which appeared in our Tuesday's issue—was read, also the article in The Farmer to which he referred.—The writer of the article contended that the butter having been passed by the Government expert at Auckland, the one at Wellington had no right to interfere and call the attention of the officer of the Ruapehu to the butter being soft. The New Zealand Dairy Association had sent butter to England that was second to none, and by the interference of the Government grader in Wellington the Association had been put to the expense of £IOO. The inspection had only been a partial one of a few of the outside cases that had been stowed near the hatchway of the coastal boat, and the whole 70 tons had been re-frozen at the expense above mentioned, the excuse being that if such had not been done the temperature of the cool chamber on the direct boat would havo been raised. The writer further stated that when in Auckland Mr Ritchie had said he should do all he conld to get the whole of the freezing done in Wellington, which he (the editor of the Farmer) should, as the mouthpiece of the farmers of the colony, strenuously oppose. Mr Gane said they had now a full reply from all counected with the transaction. It was probable they should not hear any more about the freezing in Auckland being done away with, and until they did it would be well to let the matter drop. —The President did not agree with the last speaker, for he thought the criticism in The Farmer an unfair one, which did not put Mr Ritchie in a fair light, as he was only doing his duty by calling attend n to the butter when it was soft. £IOO was a trifling addition upon the cost per lb. of 70 tons of butter—not near jd per lb.and it was better that should be paid than that there should be a risk of a whole cargo beiug spoilt. The missing link was the want of cool chambers on the coastal steamers. He thought they should urge the Government to get the ccastal boats provided with such chambers. He did not think there was the slightest danger of the freezing in Auckland being dispensed with. He then moved : That the Secretary be instructed to thank the Secretary of the Board of Agriculture for his courteous reply and full explanatiau, and to inform him that this Club is of opinion that in order to insure the safe transit of butter fix in the district of Auckland it is absolutely necessary that at least two of the steamers regularly trading between that port and Wellington should be fitted with cool chamber accommodation, and that he is requested to bring this before the Minister of Agriculture—impress upon him the urgent necessity of the Government endeavouring to bring this about before the coming summer ; also that this Club is pleased to learn that the Department does not wish to place Auckland on a worse footing than other districts. —Mr .Allen said there was, at least, one vessel on the West Coast that had a cool chamber, and he understood the Association gave way to let the Taranaki people ship their butter by that boat, and so got into trouble themselves. He thought the criticism in The Fanner was a fair one. —After some further remarks from Messrs Gane, Hunt and Fisher re Mr Ritchie's threat to close the Auckland freezing works, the motion was unanimously agreed to. Wool Shipments.—The President reported what had been done by the Executive Committee and a number of members of the Club who had been hastily called together, to assist Mr Foster's scheme for getting the freight on wool shipped to England reduced. He said the district had guaranteed 4700 bales. —This matter has already been reported in our columns.—The action taken was approved and endorsed.

The (Ji'Cis Room. —The President said they had received notice to quit their meeting room, as it was required hy Mr Poole, the dentist ; that gentleman, however, did not wish to inconvenience them. The Committee would look out for other quarters, and make arrangements to quit at as early ;i date as possible.

Si"<;ar Bkict.—Mr Graham reported that all the Deeessary steps for setting this industry going had been taken, with the exception of the allimportant one of getting the £50,0C0 Bouus 15L1I passed. He believed Mr Lewenberg bad gone to Europe by the mail boat on the previous Saturdaj to see about raising the necessary capital and getting the machinery, and the nmttei of getting the bonus put upon the statutes of the colony had been ltft in the hands of the club to attend to. He thought it would strengthen the hands of their members in the House if a petition was signed by the inhabitants of the districts where the sugar-beet would be grown, so lie had drafted one which be would submit for their approval, and he should be glad if they would either add to or delete from it. He then read the petition, which was as follows :—l. That expert evidence exists that our district is eminently suited to the production of the sugar-beet of commerce. 2. That negotiations have been pending for some years for the establishment of the industry by the erection of machinery, etc., but the plant is so costly that capi-tali.-ts arc not inclined to invest unless assistance is granted. 3. That experience in Europe and America clearly demonstrates that there is no other crop equally calculated to bring about tin close settlement of the land. There are large areas of land in this district in the hands of the Government; which would without doubt be taken up in small areas were there facilities for disposing of a beet sugar crop. 5. That any bonus given would be more than recouped by the country consequent on the increased population and the greater earning power of the people. 0. It will be within the knowledge of lion, members that the principal industry of Waikato is the dairy, anil that a sugar factory would largely provide the winter feed required to enable farmers to supply the creameries all the year round. The sugar-beet has been decided by Royal Commission to be the only root admissible for feeding cows for a first-class dairy. 7. That there is an Act already

on the Statute book (48 vie. 1884), granting id per lb. bonus on the first thousand tons of sugar produced from beet grown in the colony. Your petitioners ask that a sum of £50,000 (fifty thousand pounds sterling) be apportioned for the promotion of this industry, payable over & term of years, payment to be made annually proportionately to the output. S. Your petitioners humbly point out that what they ask is in the interests of agriculture and the dairy industry, and is in accordance with the precedent established with regard to the mining industry.—Mr Alhn then moved : Tint a petition be prepared ami be presented to both Hoiises of Parliament, asking assistance to the establishment of the beet sugar industry in the Waikato.— Tin: motion was seconded by the President, who said the club would only be doing its duty in rendering every assistance to get the industry started.-The motion was carried, and a committee consisting of the President, Messrs Allen, Gane, Wells, Runciman, Fisher and Graham was appointed to draw up a petition and submit it at the next meeting of the club.—A general discussion about growing sugar-beet then took place, after which the meeting terminated.