FIGHTING RAGWORT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 42, 28 July 1939, Page 5

FIGHTING RAGWORT

SMALLER GOVERNMENT GRANT REDUCING COSTS BY SPRAYING After a fairly long discussion at Tuesday's meeting of the Whakatans County Council decided to obtain a spray plant and make tests to ">ce whether the application of sodium by that method -was as efficient as # whem used dry in conduction with lime. The tests are ncccssary owing to a reduction in the Government subsidy from 55 to 45 per cent and the .desirability to eliminate, if possible, -the use of lime and thus save about £100 in materials. The subject was introduced by a letter from the Department of Agriculture, informing the council that it would not be possible to notify the amount of its allocation until all applicatlons had been received. How. ever, it authorised the council to com mcn.ee operations when opportune. Authority could not be given for the conditions laid down to be departed but should it be found towards the end of the season that the cost of materials, transport, ctc., exceeded 45 per cent of the wages costs the department would consider an application for an increased allowance. MR TOM KINS'' SUGGESTION. The suggestion to use spray pumps came from the assistant-engineer, Mr said Cr W. A. McCracken, chairman. Cr R. F. Wardlaw doubted whethei it paid to spray single plants, bu't Cr P. I. Burt thought that as 3\lr Tomldns bad been on the job lot two or 1 three years he should know what to do. He Tiad found the dry mixture the better said Cr A. F. McGougan wlia said he had used the spray at first and then the lime and sodium. The chairman suggested a trial with the sprayers so that a comparison of cost could be obtained. The weather must be taken into account jis the dry mixture was not affected by rain to the same extent as thtyprayed sodium. The question of danger was raised, but it wr.s pointed out that the us% of sodium compounds made spraying less risky, though their efficiency might be slightly less than that of pure sodium.