FARMING NOTES
NATIONAL HEALTH
THE FARMERS' VIEWPOINT
The official altitude of the Farmers' Union in regard to a National Health Scheme is opposed to compulsion; and for this reason, among others, the amending Bill to the Social Security Act brought down by the Government this session came in for strong criticism at the last meeting of the Auckland Executive of the Union.
The procedure being adopted by the Government, it was contended by .several speakers, would impose injustice on the doctors, while at the same time failing to provide, or even to lay the foundations of, an up-to-date medical and hospital service. The scheme would confirm, and harden into permanency, many of the worst features of the prescnl organisation of medical services.
The view was expressed that the first consideration should be to map out a properly functional scheme, which would provide a co-ordinated service making full use of all thu resources of personnel and equipment available. In the wrangling between the Government and tho doctors this, the main issue from the public's point of view, had been lost sight of.
A resolution was carried recom« mending that the Government appoint a commission comprising, !l was suggested, an overseas expcrl of the highest qualifications, the Director-General of Health, and two other medical men, to survey the medical needs and resources of this Dominion, and to draft a properly co-ordinated scheme 1 aimed at providing the best and most modern service possible with the resources available.
UNFAIR TAXATION
BLEEDING THE FARMER
rSXTRA BURDEN 11UNS INTO BIG
FIGURES
At the last meeting of the Executive of the Auckland Farmers' Union a letter was read from the Minister of Finance, Hon Walter Nash, replying to the allegations of the Union that farmers were being treated unfairly in the operation of the 1 social security tax through the stock valuation methods now in force. While the Union was awaiting the statement of a case for the opinion of the Supreme Court a bill had been passed through Parliament which made, legal the action of the Commissioner of Taxes in arbitrarily forcing farmers to use the old standard value of stock at the beginning of the income year and a new valiu at the end of the year. In dealing further with the position Mr Sexton said that if sheep had been undervalued by 2/6 per head and cattle by £1 per head there was a fictitious raising of the amount of the farmers' tax by £800,000. If, as was practically certain, the undervaluation was at least double the above amount the farmers were being mulcted in £1,600,000, or perhaps £2,000,000, of additional Social and National Security Tax on a purely fictitious income.
Members agreed that the system being adopted was vicious in principle and should be vigorously and persistently attacked until some remedy could be obtained.
MILK QUALITY
PROPORTION OF SOLIDS
At last Executive meeting of the Auckland Farmers' Union reference was - made to a report that during the month of July there was an abnormally large number of milk samples taken in Auckland that were below the. Milk Council's standard of S.a per cent of solids not fat. It was decided to ask the Health Department to state Avhat action is taken when the solid content of milk supply is under the standard, and this has been proved by submitting the milk to the freezing test, and is found not to be due to added water. Further, the suggestion Avas made that instead of judging the milk on fat and solid content individually, it should be j,udged on the total fat and solid content combined, provided that the fat content is: not under the standard required.
friesians herd group testing RETURNS
RECORDS OF 969L8 AND 820 LB
FAT IN 1910-1 SEASON
A perusal of the annual reports of the six Herd 'Improvement Associations in New Zealand for the 1,910-11 season show that the highest cows tested in the Dominion during the season were the following pedigree Friesians : Leahurst Mureena Pietertje (A. E. B. Richardson, Paerata) 2-1000 lb milk, 4.04 per cent test, 9691b fat in 365 days. Massey Renown Heterodyne (Massey Agricultural Colege, Palmerston North) 205801b milk. 4.0 per cent test, 81101b fat in 338 days. Leahurst Mereena Pietertje was milked three times a day for a portion of the season while Massey Renown Heterodyne was the highest cow in the Dominion milked twice daily only. That the records of these two cows were not unusual performances is clearly shown by their previous returns under the same test. Leahurst Mereena Pietertje (Prince Pi.ctert.jc of Malamata—L. Zela Merccnn) has consecutivc rccords, since first calving as a senior two year old of 6171bs fat in 30*5 days, 6581b in 304 days, 5911b in 365 days, and 969 lb in 365 days—a total of 28381b fat and an average of 709.51b fat for her first four seasons under test.
Massey Renown Heterodyne (Totara Netherland Renown —Massey Matador Chloe) has headed the Welling ton-Hawke's 15ay Association on three occasions. Her records, since first calving as a junior two year old a ret 3971b fat in 339 days, 5891b fat in 365 days, 6001b fat in 318 clays, 6601b fat in 313 days, 8101b fat in 365 days, 7401b fat in 348 days, 8201b fat in 338 days—a total of 46571b fat. A very complete rccord has been kept by Massey College of Hetcrodyne's production for the whole of each of her lactation periods. This shows her total production to date to be 49051b fat —an average of 7011b fat per lactation.
130 Cows Average 3501b Fat fhe final returns for the 1940-1 season show the splendid average of 3501b fat for the 130 cows milked by Mr G. J. Murray and family in their "Athol" Friesian herd at Otakiri, Bay of Plenty. Included in the herd last season were eight carryovers, eighteen junior 2 year Old and fourteen 3 year old heifers.
Mr Murray has been most careful in the selection of his herd sires and that he has shown excellent judgment in demonstrated by both his herd average and by a review under the Sire 1 Survey scheme of the bulls used. The majority of the older females in the herd are by either King Sylvia Paxton whose Survey shows 82 daughters with an average 1 of 372 lb fat or Netherton King On a, 28 daughters average 3791b fat (their dams average 3661b fat). Present day herd sires showing to advantage in last season's returns are Oiikview Keyes Romeo, whose first three daughters to come to profit averaged 3041b fat as junior 2 year olds, and Athol Paxton Verebelle' (his dam 278011) fat in 5 lactations from 10 tc 14 years of age) whose 3 year old daughters averaged 3811b fat, an increase of over 1001b fat on their 2 year old returns. A junior sire from which much is expected is Athol King Trojan (Sunnybrae. Wakalona King Trojan—Athol Nymph, Group Herd Test 422>!.b fat at 3 years) whose sire is a son of Oakview Keyes Trojan, 4 records averaging 9301b fat and whose dam is by King Sylvia Paxton, and from Fairy Paxton of Athol, six records averaging 4061b fat and dam of five daughters over 4101b fat.
Age Lb fat Days Junior 2yrs 397 339 Junior 3yrs 709 466 Senior 4yrs 600 318 Senior 5yrs 660 343 Senior 7yrs 934 530 1 Senior 8yrs 740 348 Senior 9yrs 865 368
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Bibliographic details
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Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 161, 29 September 1941, Page 2
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1,237FARMING NOTES Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 161, 29 September 1941, Page 2
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