Waimate County Farmers’ Association.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 235, 29 July 1902, Page 4

Waimate County Farmers’ Association.

j The monthly meeting w.is held on Saturday, Mr J. F. Douglas ptesiiling. The inmates of previous meeting were read and confirmed. CORRESPONDENCE. The secretary (Mr C. Akhu rsfc) read voluminous correspondence between himself and the provincial secretary re the appointment of delegate to the Conference. Mr Douglas said Mr Dunsford, the secretary, had had nothing to guide him when taking over the books, but he was sure no hitch of the kind would occur again. In 1 regard to the Conference, the ’ matter of manure and seed adul- ; teration was being dealt with by i the Government. The question of the Conciliation and Arbitration Court was withdrawn. The Ashburton resolution that holders of

, lease in perpetuity could acquire . the freehold was passed unani* 3 mously, it being recognised that a ’ man who had the freehold would do much better for himself and the

country than if he only held the lease. 'I he policy of the Union in regard to labour disputes was known. Ho could not find a seconder for his amendment that the Union defend all cases. There was no reason why they should not give assistance. It would be a comparative trifle if all farmers would combine and help the millowners, for instance. It was pretty well decided afterwards that members might subscribe a shilling each to defend such cases. In regard to subscriptions there was now no .fixed subscription right through, branches levying whatever they required to carry on. Mr Orbell thought farmers should have more direct representation at the Arbitration Court. He thought the Conference made a big mistake. Mr Douglas said they could only do this by forming another union. Mr Corrigan said the millowners were not in sympathy with the farmers. He would like the millowners to produce a balance-sheet and show whether they were making an undue profit. Then if the farmers fought their battle they would be deriving some benefit. Mr Douglas said the millowners were doing all they could. In reply to Mr Hertslett Mr Douglas said that if a farmer owned a mill and wished to knock off at any time to thresh, he would have to change his weekly hands to union rates if the Act was brought into force. The question was, he thought, whether the farmers should defend the case outside the Union.

Mr Buckingham thought they should, under the circumstances. Messrs Hertslett and E. G. Sfcudholme concurred in this, holding that the farmers should support the millowners morally and financially. It was proposed by Mr Studholme and seconded by Mr Hertslett—“ That the assistance of the farmers be given the miilownera in the*r dispute with the Waimate Workers’ Industrial Union of Workers, and that the secretary be empowered to receive subscriptions.”—Carried unanimously. Mr Buckingham said that in regard to the desire to change the system, he understood that under the bushel system no man injured had a claim -under the Workers' Compensation Act, The millowners had been insuring, but it had been simply robbery, for as contractors, within the meaning of the Act, the men had no claim.

Mr Buckingham said also in regard to bird poisoning that he had bought a drum of phoshorised wheat and laid it all round and only found one bird. The only way was to have clean broken wheat, ascertain the amount of water a given quantity of grain would absorb, and then, after dissolving the strychnine in hot vinegar, add this. He had received wheat from the Council that was all seeds and rubbish. They could not expect the Council’s man to take the same interest in poisoning grain that farmers would. , He suggested that a committee of farmers come down and poison the grain. He would guarantee to do it so that it would do the work required. The present method, he thought, was to sprinkl* the grain in the same way as they dressed wheat, and this was abso* lutely useless and throwing away the ratepayers* money. In regard to fire insurance, Mf Douglas said that the companies of New Zealand were under a bonded agreement and could not reduce the rates. Mr Wilson, president of the Union, had found out that to Canada they had a sort of mutual agreement whereby they paid in so much and drew out lor fires. I* there were no fires they had a smaller levy and if a large numb# of fires they might need an exW levy, but in no case was it hau what they paid at present. Mf Wilson had been appointed to make further enquiries, Parliament would be asked to bring in a Bill to allow farmers to form a Fire Insurance Compaq on the lines suggested. Mr Hertslett thought the wa 7 discovered by Mr Wilson ws* most fair. A hearty vote of thanks *** passed to Mr Douglas for acting •* delegate. The date of the next lector* was left over. Accounts amounting to were passed and the meeting closeo*

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