PROBLEMS OF FARMER

Chronicle (Levin), 5 November 1947, Page 7

PROBLEMS OF FARMER

Press Association)

Members' Discussion In House

(Per

WELLINGTON, Nov. 4. Mr. W. A. Blieat (Patea) discussing ;tn itern of £10,000 on the estiinates fo: overtime and meal allow'ances for the Department of Agriculture, said in the House of Kepresentatives, that the Department was a glariiig exauiple in this class of expenditure, in coniparisen with other departments. He critieised the absence of the Director-General of Agriculture from the eo'untry for the greater part of the year an,d said it was open to question whether the farniers and country should he deprived oi" his services for so lengtliv a period. Mr. G. P. Bim (Waikato) said the ahsenee of the Director-General de» prived the countrv of a service which it needed, particuiarly at a timo when appeals were heing made to produce niore for Britain. Production luid fallen and Ihe pig production had declined and in tliese respects the DirectorGeneral should be in the countrv to give the farniers a lead and advice. Ilon. E. L. (hillen said the DirectorGeneral had been attending F.A.O. conferences and investigating agricultural researeh generallv and examining machinery for the dairy industrv. He expected the Director-General 's return after tlie Ilavana conference. So far as overtime and allowances were concerned. the Minister said the farniers' demaiids for the serviees ot the Department 's otticers had been very lieavy and this had resulted in an iu crease in that iteni of expenditure. Discussing the tiax and woolpack position, the Minister said there were acute ditficulties wliicli could not bc overcome immediately. An adequate sup))ly of jute was oue of those difli culties. Control of Rabbits Mr. C'ullen, replying to AI r. W. A. Bodkin (Gentral Otago) said the only way to keep down the rabbit nest ii. the Bouth Island, and North Islaud foi that matter, was to adopt 'Muller" mcthods. He hoped iu the near futiu'i to be able to bring down a Bill wliicli would give tinancial assistance to Rab bit Boards. Mr. S. IV. Bmith- (Hobson) (omplimenting the service given to the farniers bv . farm dairy instructors, said that tlie farniers were liand'oipped, however, by a shortnge of electricity for water heating in cow•diods. The annual report of the Department stated that .">8 per ci nt. of milking macliines examined were in good condition. -11 per cent. were faii and 20 per ceut. bad. Seed Testing Station Mr. R. G. Gerard (Ashburton) appealed for a seed testing station in Canterbury to serve tlie Soutli Islan l where the bulk of small seed.s wie grown. Mr. T. P. Shand (Marlborough), speaking in snpport of the station. yubled that if the Minister .hoped t.i i'porsuade the farniers to grow niore wlieat — and there was an nnfort.iinati rcactioii over tlie wilJulrawal of tlm lime shbsidy — Ihe prbposed prb-e to growers should be announeed. Mr. P. Ivearins (Waimarino) asked if there was anv likelihood in the. near rutimyof a decision being madg .to set ti]) a veterinary sehool eitlier 'in roa junction witti or iu tlie virinity of Massey or Lincoln Agriculturat Co! leges.

Control of Tuberculosis ' Mr. J. J. Maher (Otaki) discussed the problem of town milk suppliers who wero obliged to destroy cows infecteu with tuberculosis but who were not recelving adequate compensation. Negofiations with the department had virtually broken down on the aniount to be paid for eondemned animals. Many organisations in the country were rightly advoeating a .-trict control oi' tuberculosis in dairy eattte aud the producers agreed wholeneartedly that all possible steps should be taken to eombat the TB scourge in its attack on liuman life. Producers wished to cooperate but the matter was a national responsiblity and the coun try must fairly l)ear the cost. (Mr. Maher said tliat during the recent winter, the' cost of the average heifer in some districts varied from £20 to £25 or eveu hi'gher.and that was far more than was paid as compensation for cond'emned animals. Tlie repiacoment of winter milking cows was be--v.'oming increasingly dirhcult for town suppliers. J.H-. Cullen said negotiations on the compensation price had not broken down. He hoped to see an agreement reached shortly on a reasonable price to t)e paid for eondemned animals. Mr. Cullen said that, in his opinion, the price stated by the member for Otaki was not the true value of a cow. Mr. T. 11. Butlierland: It's the value we've got to pay, though. AI r. Cullen said the negotiations with tov n milk suppliers were in abeyanse but would be resuuied. The Minister said to Mr. J. Murdoch (Alarsden) tliat provision was being made for the establishmeut of a stoclt quarantine station on Motuihl Island, Auckland, which would serve the needs of tlie northern part of the North Island. In replv to Mr. Smith he said that water-heating in cowsheds was a probiem and he would examine the situation to see if it could not be improved. Bepiying to Mr. E. B. Corbett (Egmont) the .Minister said the Dairy Division was experiuienting with processiug cheese for the London market. There were several cheese processing plants m the Dominion and the possiliilifies would be exploited to the full. "The Bouth Island has a case," said Mr. Cullen when replying to Mr. Gerard. He had discussed the seedtesting station for the Bouth Island very thoroughlv but it was beyond liim lo say when auy cliange could be made or wouhl take place. New apparatus had been instiilled and more stall engaged al the J>almerston North station and this had resulted in a taster return of samples sent from the Bouth Island. ( AI r. Cullen, answering several niemliers who urged thqt further encourageuient be given to the raising of pigs, said the main handicaps to increaseu production were the shortage of pig loods and of adequate labour. The Btabilisation Cominission had been asked to investigate the rei'ently an nounced prices for ])ig meals to see n somethiug further could be done to en couragc t'he production of the full amouut of pork that was Iioped for. Shirts From Flax Mr. Vf. J. Broadfoot (Waitbfno,. ipioled a report that some yeafs ago .)U)>an had exporlBd to Australiafshirts .vhicli were proved to have been made from New Zealand liax. Japa®. Was now growing phormiunr tenax aud with New Zealanders now 5u Japan, an' in quiry should be made to discover liow tlie Japanese prepared and trdated the til.ire. If Jibre as line as kilk could t)e made from our flax, its value woulo probably soar from £20 a ton as it nov, was to £100 a ton,' predicted Mr. Broadfoot. Mr. F. Laugstone (Roskjll) urged

timt experimental fanus should be develojted throughout New Zealand to demonstrate methods of briuging into lirolitable cultivation much of whai was now kjiown as second and third class land. There were particulai problems allecting such hinds which could be overcoiue only by practical (lei)ionstrations to assist those faruier-s who were struggliug on iuhospitable land. More About TB Mr. Blieat said two or three years ago power was takou to make the TB testing of dairy herds compulsoiw lliroughout the country but the testing work had appareatly been suspendeii recent ly bocause of a disagreement between the Minister aud town milk suppliers over the question of eompen sation. Tlie cost of replacing cows wa.st.ill iiicreasing and the Governtnent should make adequat.e payments, other wise Ihe legislation would become a dead letter. The ob.jective of freeing all herds from tubereular infection was oue wliicli was wortli paying fo. aud the Minister 's earlier reply was unsatisfactory. Mr. Blieat said he understood tliat bet'ore testing was siisjiended recently, in oue part of New Zealand the herds were showing a high proporUon of reactors to the TB test. Motlicrs of young children were especially anxious to have available in towns a millc supply of guaranteed purity. Mr. Cullen, replying to Nlr. E. I'. Aderman (New Blyiuouth), said the acreage in fruit farming was iiicreasing aud many returued soldiers had been rehabilitated ,on to fruit fa'rms. His information was that fruit farming was iiicreasing throughou-t the' Dominion and he hoped tliat, after con'sultations. satisfaetory prices would be agreed upon so as to encour.age greater production. 1 Replying to Mr. Sheat, the Minister said he was not going to run away from tlie problems aud difticulties connected with TB testing and he assured the member for Patea that he was keen to have the herds tested. MT. Blieat: Bomeone else is not keen on jiayiug. i\Lr. Cullen said negotiations with the producers were taking plaee and the herds would be tested. Mr. A. Baxter (Raglan) said he was disappointed that there was no item on | the estimates to cover experiments on ! iop dressing from the air. j Mr. Corbett asked how many j vaciincies tliere were in established ' clulis for veterinary surgeons. He con- I -idered tlie trai]iiiig received bv New j Zealanders in Australia was adequate Js f New ZealniidN roqnijreir.sits.