A FARMERS' ASSOCIATION, OR WHAT?

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1859, 5 June 1884, Page 3

A FARMERS' ASSOCIATION, OR WHAT?

TO THJ? EDITOR. Sir,— As a shareholder in the North New Zealand Fanners' Co-operative Association I looked with anxiety for your report of the meeting held in Hamilton last Tuesday, and I must say I was astonished at some of the proposals made there by the directors. The pi oposal to alter the voting I thought of little or no consequence, and tef rained from coming to vote on that question, but had 1 known of the intention of floating 2,000 shares in Auckland among 2,000 shareholders, each of these to have a vote, I think I should have made an effort to come and piotest against anything so snicidal being attempted. When this association was started it was both implied in the name and in the objects sdt forth in the prospectus that it was to be purely a farmers' co-operative association, and on that understanding I, and I have no doubt many of my neighbours, gave their money and support. Now what do we find? That some of the directois have gone to Auckland and voluntarily sold us lock, stock and barrel to a, section of the community wl ©so in tetftts are diametrically opposed to ouis v iiS«very way. We farmers are truly an Unfortunate race. No sooner do we, after hard thought and hard work, evolve some scheme by which to ameliorate our unfoitunate position than we are bowled over by some foolishness— or perhaps worse, some smai tness on the part ol those whose business it is to keep us in this present plight. Let us briefly and calmly consider the facts as they stand now "in the event of this proposal being carried out. Let us take the vote first. According to the published number of shareholders, in your paper, there will be (according to the new way of voting) 1028 votes in the farming interest, supposing that all the shares up to this have been floated among farmers. This vote is scattered from Warkworth to Gisborne, and on a question of importance how many of these could be got together ? In Auckland the vote will be 2000, two to one against the farmer. But, then, he is used to long odds against him. What, I ask, is to prevent a combination in Auckland from canying all before it -aye, even to cairy away our money and appropriate it to start a Working Mens Coopeiativc Society in Auckland. I can fancy sonic such picture as this : The chairman gets a requisition signed by the requisite number of shareholders to convene an extraordinary meeting to alter some part, or may-be the whole of the articles of association, co meet the views of the Tiades and Labour people ; I can fancy us hunting up our votes to protect ourselves, and I can fancy with what result in view of the two to one racket. It is idle to argue this is improbable. It is possible, and possibilities are what any sound business man weighs when he entirs on an undertaking. Even setting this argument aside, theie are others to my mind that make the arrangement most undesirable. By our articles we distribute profits according to the amount of business done by each shareholder. Well that means, although 'we may deal in cash only, ledger accounts ha\e to be opened in the name of every customer, whether he buys a mutton chop at our butchers, or sells a thousand pounds worth of wool to us. Fancy the expense attendant on this ! I am afraid the profit would be very easily distributed. Again, what have Aye, as farmeis, in common with the workingman of Auckland. If we can supply him at a price that pleases him he will deal with us, and if we can't he will go elsewhere. Let us remain true to ouroiiginal purpose ; let us import no sentiment into our business. We have combined to get the best price we can for the articles we have to sell, and to buy what we want as cheaply as we can, and until this fad became imported mto the scheme we seemed on a fair way to succeed. I cannot see the necessity of battering our independence for this individual £1,000 ; the money could have been just as easily raised among the farmers, judging by past experience, and no great strain on them. If this scheme is carried out as proposed we may alter the name of our association to the " Auckland Respectable Workingman's Co-operative Association." — lain, &c, A Shareholder. Te Awamutu, May 31st.

Therk are in London no fewer than 10,000 flour-nulls, producing annually over 30,000,000 sacks of flour, worth about £50,000,000 sterling. Boards for finishing purposes are now made from straw atLawience, Kansas, and shipped for Chicago the gieatest lumber market in the world. One average of wheat straw will make 2000 ft of lumber. This number can be made to any colour, to imitate any kind of vood, and be made waterproof or h reproof. As it can be formed at once into any shape without waste of material it promises to be the material for furniture, musical instruments, buildings &c. The largest match factory in the world is located in Sweden. It contains an enormous novel machinp which produces, it is said, 1,000,000 boxes of matches daily. Blocks of wood are fed in at one end of the machine and at the other end the matches come out ananged in boxes ready for packing. Twenty steamers and eight sailing vessels last summer delivered the wood from which the matches are made. En.sila.«k for Milch Cows —A correspondent writes us that Mr James Wood, dairyman, West Calder, having obtained a quantity of ensilege taken from Burngrange silo, experimented on a cow three months after calving. He commenced giving, along with a reduced supply of her usual food, a portion of the preserved fodder, and at the end of three weeks found that her milk increased an imperial pint per day. Without the aid of scientific tests, he is of opinion that the milk, if anything, was of superi or quality, and as the animal was at the commencement of the experiment beginning to fall off a little at milking it is evident that the result of the change of food was considerably better than appears from the actual increase. He is of opinion that ensilage is a profitable food for milch cows.— N.B. Agricaltureal. Rats and Mice. —lf you wish to de stroy them get a packet of Hill's Magic Vermin Killer in packets, 6d, 9d, and Is, to be obtained of all storekeepers, or from T. B. Hill by enclosing an extia stamp. - t * Yes !It is certainly true. Ask any of your friends who have purchased there. Garlick. * and Cranwell have numerous unasked for and very favourable commendations from country customers on tbeir excellent packing of Furniture, Crockery, and Glass, &c. Ladies and gentlemen about to furnish should remember that Garlick and Cranwell'* is THE Cheap Furnishing Warehouse of Anckland. Furniture to suit all classes ; also Carpets, Floor Cloths and all House Neccs-, ■ariei. If your new house is nearly finished, or, ( you are eroing to cet married, visit Garlick p** v Cranwefl, Queen'street and Xorne-strectTAuck-land.i Intending purchasers can have a catalogue *ent free. Life in the Bush—Then and Now. — It it generally supposed that in the bush we have •..to put np with many discomforts and privations in the shape oi food. Formerly it was so, but now. thanks tp T. B. Hill, who has himself in the bush, if food docs consist chiefly of tinned meats his Colonial Saucb gives to them [ flavour, .making them as well of the plainest food most enjoyable, and instead noviv Colonial-Baking Powb«* 'makes the _ wry be«t ,bread f ,;scones f ' cakes, and, pastry far », «uperior? and more vrjjolesomc ( than yeast or jfateni §pld byalUtfdii^J^'tob.ocaoob. Mfrm it fcom *»y rn.ercb.anf ht .Ajuekjand,