LITTLE POISON IN THE MILK PALES

Chronicle (Levin), 18 March 1947, Page 2

LITTLE POISON IN THE MILK PALES

LORD BLEDISLOE TALKS OF BOVINE DISEASE "There is springing into being in England a silly saying that tlierc is poison in the milk pails. There is poison in empty milk pails, but only a very little in the full pails." Tliis coinment was made by Lord Bledisloe when speaking to students of Massey Agriculture Coilege yesterday on the steps being taken by the Royal Agrieultural Society of England to eradicate tuberculosis and contagious abortion from herds. Having mentioned that -10 per eent of England 's eattle reaeted to the tubereulin tests, he said it was important that he should add that only oue half per cent yielded T.B. infected milk. "In England today milk is an Al priority, and it was more importaut that infants should recei'vc sonie of tliis vital food, than that there should be foolish talk of poison in the milk pails," said Lord Bledisloe, who added ihat liis ligures would show that tlu proportion of infected milk was alniost uegligible. The Koval Agrieultural Society, however, was engaged upon a crusade to reduee the prevalence of bovine diseascs, and part of the campaign was the dccision that no animals sufi'ering from TB eould be exhibitcd at this year's Royal Show, the first to be held for seven years. Next year, or the year Ht'ter, this prohibition would be extendod to eove: animals suffering from contagious abortion. As a furtlier measure in the campaign, the society had started a compelition among the counties in which Irophies were awarded to the county which had done the most to clean up the herds in its area, with the objeclive of incrcasing the number of herds that did not react to the TB tests. Science, said Lord Bledisloe, had gone IV rward during recent years, and particularly during the war years, by leaps and bounds, and there was 110 spliere or sc'f-nce in which there had been more marked progress than in agriculture and aninial husbandry. "You students for 111 only 3 per cent, ov possiblv less than 1 per cent, of the uunibcr who seek to find a living from primary production in the Dominion," lie said. "A grave rcsporisibility will rcsl with you to point the way insofar as progress in animal husbandry and agi icultural research are concerned, to fijose who have not had your advantaccs. ' ' Lord Bledisloe said he was looking for ward to the tinie when the Royal Agrieultural Society of New Zealand would have outstanding Royal shows on the sanie footing as those in the Old Country. The timo was coming wlien the Dominion should provide for the champion animals by having seperate Royal Show yards in which champions would compete against each other. He threw the suggestion out as an ideal to be aimed at. Mr. Txeiller said that at present the Royal Shows in New Zealand were only glorified distriet shows, but he hoped that soniething would be done in the near future to hold similar Royal Shows to thofte in England.