British Seed Merchant Visits N.Z. Suppliers

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30975, 3 February 1966, Page 14

British Seed Merchant Visits N.Z. Suppliers

Mr E. A. Hick, a 70-year-old Englishman from Leigh-on-Sea, is, in his own words, “just an ordinary businessman.”

As the managing director of McMaster and Frankish, Ltd., London, one of the biggest wholesale seed firms in the United Kingdom, he has traded with Canterbury, for more than 50 years.

Most of his life, he has thought of going to see where the white clover crops were grown, and meet the people that grew them. Although he has no legs, Mr Hick flew to New Zealand. Through a diabetes affliction, Mr Hick had one of his legs amputated six years ago. The other leg was amputated three years ago.

Today, he wears artificial legs, and cannot spend much time standing up. Mr Hick’s son, Mr E. J. Hick, who is also a director of the seed firm, accompanied him.

Already they had travelled to Ashburton, Timaru, Dunedin, Waoaka and Invercargill by car, meeting New Zealanders in the seed business.

On his flight to New Zealand, Mr Hick brought his folding 601 b wheel chair with him. Airlines have not charged him for its transport. Asked how he managed to get down the steps of jet aircraft, Mr Hick laughed, and said: “With the aid of a hostess’s arm.”

At overseas airports, he said, he was lowered to the ground by fork-lift truck. Mr Hick said his firm was probably the largest buyer of New Zealand white clover in Britain, and if not the largest buyer of New Zealand rye grass, not far from it Instead of New Zealand farmers (Southland particularly) being exporters of chewings fescue, as they

were once, New Zealand •-urchants would be very pleased to buy chewings fescue from Oregon, United States, if they could get import licences, said Mr Hick. When he returned to Eng-

land, said Mr Hick, he would report on his interview with some agricultural officials in New Zealand. He had been accompanied at the interview by the agricultural adviser to

the British High Commissioner. “We are hoping, as a result, there will be some increase in the seeds imported into New Zealand from our country,” said Mr Hick. Mr Hick and his son leave New Zealand tomorrow by air for London, via Australia and North America.