PRIMARY PRODUCTION

Chronicle (Levin), 30 March 1946, Page 8

PRIMARY PRODUCTION

WGftK $F C'0tJNt3ifc ENDS fteifttjftes TO ^AltMEltS The work of the Primary Production Gouiicils, so succfessfVilly earrie'd on during th'O .ye'ars of War, has coiiie to an uiid. . As far aS the Mahawatu Primary Production Council. is Conc'erned-, it was ii happ.y i&hplrhtioii that b rough t about tlie de'cisioh .t'O wind up activities with •h A'O'ciai . gathering. This fuh'ctiOn e'v'eii'tuated 00. ThOrkday eveiiihg and was hirtfen'ded by 'di'st'ric't conimitteemen and "th'eii" wives from all parth of the JVlahaw'aVu distfict. Spccial guests were the Ilon. B. Roberts, Mihiste'r of Agriculture, and Mrs. Roberts, Mr. R. B. Lehnent, acting' DirectoV-Grenei'al of Agri.euitur'e, Coniman'der F. A. Raymaley, U.S.N.,. representiug the United States 'Joiirt Purchasing Board; and Mr. R. W. KeObell, ehairman of the Wairarapa Production Council.

The chai'rman, Mr. B-. E. KeillOr, paid tribute to the 'excell'ent fesponse by district comniitte'em'eh and tli'eit- wives, to [he eall oi: the C'oilncil ior the biggest p'oSsible production effort. It was a valiaht job very often carried out without any requests even for out of pocket expenses. Special thanks were due Mr. j. H. Bees, organising escretary from ihe outset, and the help given him by M'rs. Rees. it was the*\vay Mr. Iiees had set th'e work of the council olf On the right foot, wliich had been very la^'gely responsible for the outstanding succesS achieved-. The work eventually bOcanie too heavy for Mr. Rees but the council was very fortunatte iii securing the servic'es of Mr. P. Larcomb. Mr. Keiller also had a wor'd Of praise for the staff. One Of the biggest tasks of the coiiiinitt'eemen was iii connection with Armed Forces atipeals, and some thousands of cases had been reported upon. ^'fhere had be'en aniicable cooperation bOtween th'e Production Council a'n'd the Manpow'er Oifiee, the Agriciiltural Dfcpartment, the Railway Dej.iart m'ent, Masshy Coll'ege, an'd Siate Advances. Rehabilitation liad been the maih actiVity in recent days. Tlie secOh'd hbaviest ta.sk, however, had been repo'riihg oii prodiictioh requirements. these totalling 3000 of whicli 0J0 wero iii fesp'ect of farin- machinery. Thefe had been 150 cases conncct'ed witli cement and 50 in respect of houses and hiitments. Tyre and"petrol cases reported on had been innunierable aml M r. Keiller said th'e fariners had had a good 'deal in respect of these requirements. The council had had to deal with eggs, o'nions and potatoeS' And but for the 'Production Council the disaster last year wh'en it cam'6 to ge'tting labOur for harV'esting, vvoul'd have been mufeh w'orSe. Thanks were du'e to Mr. J. "D. Aitchi'son for his work in connectioh with the a'ciite oilion and potato hhrvestiiig* problems. The driv'e for wheal had been niost su'cce^ful ahd beelluse of the'pefsonal conta'cts macle by M'esSi'siWi E-. 'Cowdreyhhd C. E. Yile, there -had jqst beeh h'arVested oue of the lhfgesi hteas of wlieat grown in this disti'iOt for a lohg tilne.

' Mr: K'Oiller said many fariners were coxicerned about the dissolutioii of the Production Councils aiid he pefsonaliy thought they niiglit ve'ry well have carried -on for anotlier 12"moittliS. However, tlie' coiincils wfife linishing their work but that did nbt mean that fariners should 'eeaSg in producing the most they coukl bdcause bf the dire nced fOr food. It wah an 'atisolu't'e diitv to send as much fOod as poSsible to Britaim The Minist'erj Ilon. B. Roberts-, said that in the \Vork of the Primary Production Councils there had been insjpiration, gbodwill ancl a pul'pose whicli had accomplished what they had Set oiit t'o do. "I W'aht to thank the 37 Primary Production Councils and thfeir hbhdreds of diStrict 'c'entres, for what they have dohe, " said the Minister. "I khbw of the many aiid irksome tasks wliich had to be doiie. We hact to saerifice Some of our liner feelings in doing these .iobs but it has all been worth 'v^.dlile.,, .... Mr. Roberts pa.id..;he'''had' had lnany, requests both.' for th'^,,,continua.nee of the worB^of jthe ednlfcils and thb closing of' i'h'drf "doWn. There was a request froim the hea'd office of the Farmers' Union, that the time was ripe for closing down the councils and yet there wbuld seem to be a need for their continuanc'e. Thbre was still need for plauned production and what had been dbne under eontrols in war time, should now be taken up by the farming commtihity in a Vbluhtary ivay. 'The Govchnh'ent didn't want to int'erfere with thb "farmer 'except where he impingad on other seetions of the community and thq welfare of the nation as a whole. It took a high intelligence to undefstand these tliings. "I want you to come forward with a voluntary inspiration to do in the future the things we have done under compulsion, " added Mr. Roberts. "That is the test of our manhqod aiid eitizenship. ' ' He also urged a voluntary food saving feft'brt in order td help meet the eall for 20)000,0009 tbhs bf food required in the n'ei't 120 dkys, to Sav'e 500;0000,000 pe'ople frbm starving in 19 countries.

Mr. R. B. Tennent," acting DireetorGerieral of Agriciiltiire, also paid spe'eial tribute to tlie. vei'y exceil'ent work cal't'ied Out by. the Production 'Couiieils. The farMiitg business could not have been carried on so successfully with'out thein. The fariii'ers iii thfeir ttirri had played thfe g'aiiie. Th'e 'siiccfess of the councils iVas a tribiite to the success of the farm^rs themselvfes ahd he had siilhcieiit fhith ih thfe farming ofganisatioris of New- Z'feaiaiid, to believe that they woiild carry on along the same lih'es as during the ivar. Mr. Tennent paid a pei'Sonal tribute to all tlie cortiriiitieemen whOj he said, had worked well in tiie interests of the community as a whole. .In their ehairman, Mr. B. ,E. Keiller, the Manawatu Council had 'had an oiitstanding man in the way he had given of his time in the public ' sferviefe; Mr. Tennent called for cheers for thfe eommitteemen and council, floin tlidsfe pi-esent Yhd hh'd iiot been afesbeiated with thfe wotk. Commaiiiier R'aymaiey, TJ-.B-.Ni, said thahk ,-y'ou t'6 all Nfew Zfealand''s fhtni1 , ers for tlife job of i¥0rk ihfey had donfe

iii providihg the United Statfes forces in the forward areas, witli 'foo'd. No ship had left Nfew Zealahd without its rfequireil -quota of variohs produets. He liad come into close contact with the work of the Mahaw'ath Production 'Cohhcil and fouhd it always willing to meet the requirfemfents Of "-the United States forces. All cont'acts tvith Mahawatu fariners had bfeen fespe'cially good. The Oommander 'said he was going back to the States with a very warm spot in his heari for New Zealand farmers who were, after all, very like American farniers: -This similarity had impressed him very vividl.y. Mr. J. Lirikiater, iii 6 Mantlwatu Council 's iii'st chair'nian • and lat.er ehairman of the Armed Forces Appeal Board, spoke of the work of the women of New Zealand in the lhatter of production. • , t . . . Other speakers were Messrs W, E. Cowdrey, J. H. Rees, M. J. McLeavey ancl D. B. Rowe. There were further ref.erences to the work- of Mr. Keiller who; at the eall of the . Minister, was aeeorded cheers and music'al honours. Musical and other itfems were contributfed by Mrs-. F. McLachlaii, MeSSrs G. M. "Whiterock and. k Wood, with Mr. F. McLachlaii ht thfe pianb.