THE POULTRY INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1826, 12 August 1913, Page 8

THE POULTRY INDUSTRY.

CONCESSIONS DESIKED, A deputation from the. New Zealand Poultry Association waited upon tho l'rimo Minister last evening for the purpose of bringing before him certain matters connected with the poultry industry. Tho'deputation, which was introduced by Mr. A. Harris, member for Waitomata, consisted of Messrs. S. Brittain-Bull, of Auckland (president of tho association), S. H. Scott and A. G. Mumby. (vice-presi-dents), W. Bierre (Palmerston North), and \V7 Jessen (Wellington). Mr. Bull, who acted as spokesman, said that tho requests oil the deputation wero principally contained in the following resolutions, which wero passed at the annual eonfereDcc. held in Auckland in March, last (1) That tho Agricultural Department Lo requested to undertako an egg-laying competition a't Huakura, and that the number of pens bo equal for bath heavy and light breeds. (2). That tho Department be asked to undertake experimental tests to endeavour t> arrive at the' approximate costs of feeds for the heavy and light breeds of fowls,'to ascertain their relative values for products obtained, and strenuously.urge the Department to encourage the poultry industry in view of its increasing magnitude. (3) That this conference of tho New Zealand Poultry, Association desire -'to lay before the Government the difference ill" treatment between the poultry and •tho fruit industry; that as against a director, and an assistant director and a largo staff of instructors for tho fruit industry, we, who produce four or five .times more in value, lmvo only ono instructor. • '' , (4) Tho desirability of putting poultry farmers oil the same footing as fruit farmers with regard to railway charges. : (5) The desirability of bringing poultry appliances under agricultural, horticultural, and viticultural machinery, in ! tho Customs classification, the duty' at present being from 20 to 25 per cent. Three Million Birds. : In "speaking in regard to the first resolution, Mr. Bull said that'in the competition at l'apamii a record was put up last year in egg-production, but what had been , done thero did not carry tho samo weight as if it had been under Government supervision. As 'showing the vain©'of tho industry to New Zealand Mr. Bull said that tho last census showed that there were some three million birds in the Dominion. Allowing a reduction of ten per cent, for nonproducing birds this would give 2,700,000 egg-producing birds. Estimating the value ■of tiio eggs at an average of ten shillings a year each, this gave a total of .£1,350,000. "When the value of the export trade, etc., was taken into account it was found thnt the total value of the industry to the Dominion was about X 1,500,000 yearly'. .The. fruit industry was only .about. onethird of that amount. Tho deputation, also desired to secure a satisfactory definition of "fresh eggs." .Eggs ,which were not new should not be stamped and sold, as such. The market, it was stated, v;as suffering a great deal through inferior eggs being sent to the market.

Fresh .Eggs. . '■ ifr. 11-assey: Hoiv would you define fresh, ejtfjs? . ' Mr. Bull: Those nuat are not moro than four or fivo days or at tlio most a week old. Primo Minister Sympathetic . The 1 I'rirao lliiiister, in .rcplyiiig, congratulated tlie deputation on the ; ,way in .which. the industry was? progrtsf.ing. As ifjiii^ns'tli-6•^•wiiics(^} , (>r'Jtlie-:<!g8-layiil*l com'•pst'ition at' liuak'tii-a w ; as toncerned, lie was not quite certain as to the facilities there or whether tlie staff was competent : to undertake t.lio supervision 'of'the competition. He would juquiro into the matter, and let the deputation know tlio result. Personally he could not -see whytho competition could not bo nrranged. Ho thought that experimental food tests could be arranged without difficulty. As to instructors, he was not quite certain that there was tho fame necessity for poultry instructors as. the,re was for fruit instructors.' Tho fruit industry was almost in its infancy, but it was likely to becomo a big thing. He, agreed of course that tho' poultry industry was aho callable of great development. Ho woufd look charges, lie believed that the deputation hafl a grievance.- . ' Sfr. Harris: You can' bring a .ease of fruit -from Auckland for. a s'liilliiig, but to bring a case of eggs you have ;to pay seven, iiiul fourpenee. (Mr. 1 Bull: It costs 15.,9 d. to bring a case of eggs from I'alinerston, whereas a ease of the samo size of fruit is brought for sixpence. Mr. Jtassey" said • t.hat the railway charges lw revised-in two or three months, and the "matter ,would then be gone into: In regard to the duties on appliances he'.&iid that there were certain anomalies in.tlie tariff which required attentioivbut lie was not. prepared at present to say to what extent' thesa w;ould ba dealt with this, session.