INSECT PESTS.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19164, 22 November 1927, Page 12

INSECT PESTS.

AUSTRALIA'S PROBLEMS. DR. TILLYARD'S APPOINTMENT. [THE PRESS Special Service.] AUCKLAND, November 21. "Australia's pest problems are immensely greater than those that NewZealand has to deal with, and they have not been the subject of co-ordin-ated effort on the part of the Commonwealch up to the present. Roughly speaking, the total loss to Australia a vear through insect and weed pests is 'somewhere between £10.000.000 and £20,000,000, so you will realise that if they get one perfect solution out of ten it will save far more than the total tost of research work.'' Thus said Dr. R. J. Tillyard, Director of the Cawthron Institute, who returned to New Zealand by the Niagara, this morning after a seven weeks' tour of Australia made at the invitation of the Federal Government. Dr. Tillyard, who proceeded to the Commonwealth in the first instance for the purpose of advising the Government on what action it should take to combat its pest problems, has accepted the position of Chief Commonwealth Entomologist and' will take up his new duties on March Ist next. "I went over to Australia deliberately intending nob to tako the post. Which wu.s previously offered to me," said the doctor to an interviewer. "J. met various State committees and Government officials and finally «aw that the position was more serious than T at first realised, as there was no co-ordination in efforts to combat noxious weeds and pests problems, i suggested that the Commonwealth should go in for comprehensive Federal organisation in the matter, and two d&ys before I left Sydney my new appointment was offered me. I hope, however, that I won't be lost to New Zealand. 1 shall continue in charge oi the Empire Marketing Board's research work in connexion with blackberry, for which a grant of £4OOO a yea/ for five years was made by the Board, so long as New Zealand agrees to the proposal, and will visit Now Zealand once a year." Continuing, Dr. Tillyard said that Australia intended to concentrate on research work under the new scheme, and development would be along lines of attempting to solve the insect and l uoxious weeds problems. Enumerating tho various pests which were prevalent in the Commonwealth, he considered that blowflies, which caused a loss of £4,000,000 to sheep, was the most serious.