HONEY INDUSTRY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 229, 15 June 1918, Page 10

HONEY INDUSTRY

I • • . I,;/: ■• . ' ' ■ [;■ THE BEEKEEPERS' CONFERENCE Y' ■ ■ . I CHIEF APIARIST WANTED H : The annual conference of the National 'Association of Beekeepers was resumed .• yesterday morning. Mr. James Allan moved:—"That tho .Government bo strongly urged to appoint , / a chief apiarist at a salary commensurate ■with the qualifications required to fill j • '■ the position; also, that the.Minister be I ' recommended to increase the salaries of j : inspectors." Mr. Allan said 'that this '.'/ request was made to the Minister a year j-. ego, and the answer was that on account !; of Ihe war tho Government could not j ./ accede to it. However, tho request j should be repeated, ; '"• 'A delegate asked if. the chief : apiarist j would be under the Director of Horti- ■ ■r' culture? j -■•.'.' Mr. Allan said that that was a niati ter for the Department, but, of course, !.. the chief apiarist would have control y ' of his own section. 1 j: ,, ;. Mr. Baines. said that the weakness j of the present position was that at'the j', ]iert(3quarters of tho Department in-Wel- ;. , lington thero was.no ono with special • tnowledijs of beekeeping. ' ; Mr. W. B. Bi-ay contended that the i. Department could get a good man in ! , the Dominion. Through lack of control, I .-. matters connected with the Apiary Sec- ', tion had drifted. ! Mr. Bartlett-Miller. said that unless j ■ salaries were increased there would soon ! be no inspectors in New Zealand. He ' did not. think there would be any diffi- . . cult with thu Minister. : . Mr. Campbell (of. the Agricultural T)e- !.'. partment) said I hat the impression that ! tho giving of information was entrusted i r to clerks was an incorrect one.. The Departinent would welcome changes in the : . direction of higher salaries for inspectors i s and ■ the appointment of a. chief apiarist. • : Mr. Kobbs advocated the appointment : ■ of a Now Zealand man. j Mr. T. "W. Kirk (Director of the Horticultural. Division of the Department of '■■... Agriculture) agreed that it would'be a I".. gnod thing to have a chief' apiarist. i''' Howevbr, he did not think the Public ; Rprvice Commissioner would fill the posiI■• . tion just now. Inspectors were receivj ing increases in salaries. Junior officers ; . : unpointed durintr the war would be filaced temporarily under the control of be present 1 inspectors. The motion was carried. '■•■• . Shipping Space.

i The question, of shipping space waa i , raised by Mr. Nelson, who said that the I Minister should be urged to do all possible and use all his influence to i.^ve 1 honey now in store ['hipped. He urged ;;■ also that the beekeepers should be pro- |. . ipei-ly considered respecting patrol snp- !■ plies. Ho moved on these lines, and the ;■■..' conference adopted the motion. i To Wait on the Minister, A deputation was appointed to wait ; ' on the Minister (the Hon. W. D. S. ; . MacT)onoJd) and the Public Service C'omjiiissioner on questions raised at tho : conference. Queen-Rearing Station. '~ Mr. T. W. Kirk, in a reference to ', " the queen-rearing station at Tauranga, ; ' said that Oie climate there was particti■l ■ larly well suited to the purpose. By : Jiext season this stafii.'n ought to be ! doing very fine work. ~ A Suggestion Rejected. i * ' Mr. A. Ireland moved:-"That this I , conference recommends to the mnnufne- ;. turers that thev increase the to'p bars j> : of their hives from seven-eighths of an i •'■ inch to one inch." i , ; Tho motion was lost. ( : Removing Diseased Bees, : : On ,the motion of Mr. W. B. Bray, it i was resolved: "That this conference ■ , urges upon tho Department of Agriculi ' ture tho urgent necessity of preventing ! the removal of diseased bees from one '■■ place to another." . f '•■ \ Mr. Kirk said that regulations to deal i with this question were being dwftted i and wero almost ready. To remove dis- ;-. eased bees was an offence. : • : ■'. * The Officers. \ ■ , Officers wore elected as follow:—PresiIdent. Mr. W. E. Barker; vice-president, I ,Mr. James Allan; North Island executive, ; Messrs. A. Ireland and W. Watson; ! South Island executive, Messrs. E. Nel|^A eon and E. W. Sage; secretary, Mr. I'. ■ '" C. Baines; editor of Journal, Mr. P.'C. :- ißaines. . ■. i ■ Keen to Assist, ': . The comniitteo which met the Minis- ■ ter in the afternoon. later reported to i ' the conference that the- Minister had as- ;.. ,Enred a .them that he was keen to assist ■ : npiarists, He had promised to do what ; he could; to help them to have shipped the honey which was now lying iu store. He would cable to the-Prime Minister I (who was now in London) andsec what : could- be done. The' Minister aleo had '. . eaid thivt he would ask Cabinet for an , increased sum for graders of honey. Furthermore, he;etated that a chief apiarist ! lwould.be.appointed at an enrly date,if n man suited to the position could be found. ....

; , Other Matters. ' . Mr.H.B. Bartlett-Milier lectured on •The Value of Genetics to all BeekeepI ere." ■ ' . ; Mr. A. Ireland delivered "a few toi , marks on frames, showing .different kinds." -. ; ;-.. Mr. E. W. Briclcell spoke on the sub- ; Sect of tho good value of honey. I. . A demonstration of the Bento'n Capping : Jnelter was given. I . The matter of where the next confer- • Slice is to be held was left to the ex-/ i. ecutive. : • - ■ ■ ' : to the constitution (subi jnitted by the Waikato body) were adopt- ; ed. : j The conference has concluded.