FIRE-BLIGHT.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20168, 21 February 1931, Page 19

FIRE-BLIGHT.

r . f o taif sorton op titz ttijssa. gUyi-In/H, reference to tird-blight ill io-dav's Pkess, Mr Goodwin compiitlfls that have not given, him the fieip ** Mftfiiig ' rte k outbreaks. No doubt, ..this must have beei/disappointing'to Mr Goodwin aft?r | 'organising their work fdr thetn, but aftef 4111, should .tilii, Agritiuliiirii bepaxtment copra*, on the growers to i fieln'them? Tire-blight known , to porta df.tua 'No|tH Islatjd fo* so«fe years, so either the Department has | been lax in coping, with the'danger, or olbb, they have hftd hard luck. Tt toafc iob t<* Kg&P diit i t,s this inland,'wihg ty Bttijj Mafr' 1 th& organisati6ti arid authority to- take , Measures against it. However,at is with lis now. and it is too late to blame fchftdiHs.Th&; fioSitibn is tbo-SfififliiiJ.Mr ftnv half measures, and the -Depart.fnent should take full charge and do the tor&ffe itself. , , „ 'Are* bus? aiSn, aitd» it WoUld Hot bfe i&ir St on them too much, even though the work Vitally concerns them. By report, the disease iittfr 6iily a dllfciit hoidy ftnd fco time should be lost in stamping it out hrhile <th'6 leaves are ~ ou the trees and Its plaiaW/jhdtfifig; plough It httieks pfeats eMefly, &?<d appieS to it less' orchafdistS stand to H»3©. an. their markets if once it gets ft footing, "as these b'S bUriM to them, t .hope. the authorities,will impress >a .tee tli3 ftatttfe tif the dlsßdgfe, arid if-it spreads, its.effect on our orchards, both 'small and large. I hope, too, that they will fotlKe It plaiti tKAt, affetitgd trees'ttte dootted, 4nd ■tflll have tp be fld&tfof£a*» iff"- ailjr- daSb. Md 'that thb K&pJtttfefifit Will fceiitf itte 86sfr tff flothg i this, so that tWe- will be, nothing to ! 1 • .Though ndthiag; JWUId US gained now by blaming the Department 'of Agriculture; i H6fi"a 'the/ '-fron't ftttget thdrfc is another tropble in the North Island -that we here could Well do without—- | the tf&ttH tick, This, pest was looKgd I on With afead there while-it was gaiu'iiig i* fdotitigi Bat It igffe&id that in districts where it is.. .established, Cdttleinen "do not consider it is a serious

trouble to piuifs 6n to someone else, and Some stock inspectors are said to bo lax with dipping and other regulations, that is hearsay, butcattle are still being sent here ftfOm ble«in districts of the North Island, flhd we cannot afford to risk getting it indirectly from affected districts. I hold that in such cases prevention is better than cure, and that too itittch care cannot be taken to keep out fresh trouble. Only a few months dgo, the Department seemed inclined to consider tiie question of admitting British stild stock to this country, and so lay it open to the risk of foot-afafl-mottth disease, one of the deadliest ox the known stock diseases,—Yours, etc;, T.A.S. Febfilary 19tli, 1931. ,