COUNCIL OF AGRICULTURE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 257, 18 July 1918, Page 8

COUNCIL OF AGRICULTURE

ANNUAL CONFERENCE i • ; OPENED Iff THE CITY YESTERDAY. The fifth annual confeiroiice of tho New 1 Zealnad Counoil of Agriculture was open!fd in the meeting hall of tho Dominion ■ Farmers' Institute yesterday. Mr. F. W. ; Williams, of Pukekoho, presided. j Sir James Wilson extended a, welcomo :to the delegates. He roinnrked that tho ; fanners' representatives 111 nst feel pleased •with their new libeling place. I The Minister . '.gri:ulturo (the Hon. ! W. D. S. Matj '„,:;iid) opened the eon- .' ference. He, too, congratulated the fnrmei'3 on their fine building, which. lie said, ; should bo of great value to tliem. It i had been suggested that the Department |of Agriculture should erect its buildings jon a section near by. Something might ; bo done later, but the present was ivnr time. Owing to the way work which ; naturally fell oil Ministers of the Croivn : in these'days he had been unable to at- ; tend as many agricultural shows as he j would otherwise have attended, but at those 16 had visited he had been surprised that notwithstanding that «o many 1 men had left for the war the quality of ! the stock displayed was wonderfully good. Beginning from now I here was to !be a reorganisation of the Department, ' whereby Dr. Iteakes would become Di-rector-General of Iho Department of : Agriculture. Mr. 1;'. S. Pope, who had ■ changed his position in the Department, 1 had done excellent service. The officers ; of the Department had been eenired at ; Wareroa, and a good ground work lias : been laid which would be of great future i benefit to the country. There were a good many things done by the Department which did not seem to get much 'recognition, but there was no Govern- : ment Department in' New Zealand which 'was doing as much for the farmer as ; the Department of Agriculture. If it : were not for the Government grading ot , produce things here would be very dit- ; ferent. The experimental farms were ' doing a very great work. The Depart- : ment did not profess to teacli breeders their business, but they claimed to bo of great aid to the new man starting on : the land. The exlent to which'the farms were taken advantage of was shSwn by ! the fact that 10,■000 farmers visited 1 naInira in one year. He recognised that ■' the agricultural societies and the Council of Agriculture had been of great assist- ; nnce. The matters of fertilisers and lime were important, and a geological report on lime deposits was now awaited. ; Whenever the war ended we had big burden to carry. Some people were talking of looking forward ■ : •prices for produce. ITe did not think I that wo should always belooking;for the i absolute maximum, W tor a to price ! and a good commercial proposition, the ; Minister continued at gre;it lengi' ' the remainder of his observations will be : found reported under other headings. Mr O A Macdonald (Orari), who was ' nominated W the executive, was unanimously elected president. Education. 1 Mr. T. K. Hodder (Manawatu) moved: '"That this council, believing the commercial and industrial prosperity of this : Dominion after the war depends in a large measure upon the present education of our children, urges the Goyerni ment that preparation be commenced immediately for the extension and linprove- . ment of our education system, especially , in the following directions Ha) More and better buildings and grounds; (I)) !• smaller classes and a more adequate supf plv of fully-trained teachers; (e) better grants to school committees for maintenance; (d) extension of medical and dental examination and treatment of school i children; (e) improvement in technical and agricultural education." Sir Walter Buchanan said that his sympathies were with the motion, but * this was war time. An improvement should immediately be made, but, of i course, success in the war must over- ; shadow almost every, consideration. The motion was carried. Timber Supplies. 1 The following remita were carried:— ; Nelson.—"That, this conference views. ' with alarm the rapid depletion of pur ' native timbers, and strongly urges upon the Government and all owners of land .-the great importance of instituting a vigorous scheme of afforestation on our ! waste areas, and would particularly urge the employment of returned soldiers npon ■ this work if any difficulty is found securing "employment for tliem." Hawke's Bay, Taranaki. and Mauawatu.—"Thai in tlie interests of the : dairy industry of the Dominion the Government be urged to prohibit the export of white pine timber from. New Zealand.' Also that the Government and all owners of land be urged to at once : plant trees of a suitable character for the making of cheese cases and butter Wairarapa and East Coast.—"That this i conference take snch steps as are within its power to secure the prohibition of ! the export of white pine timber from : New Zealand, and also strongl/ urges ; upon the/Government the urgent neces- ! pity of-.at*bnce commencing'to grow fsuit- ; jibie timber for making of clieeso crates i and butter boxes, so that the timber will ■ be available when the white pine forests ■ have been cut out." Concerning Freezing Companies. i' Tho following Temit from Gore was very heavily ■ defeated:—'"That the Gov-. • ernment take into consideration the adJ visability of the granting of licenses to : freezing works, and that such licenses : be subject to annual inspection by either ! the Stock Department or some other in- > spector'set np by the Government, and ' that all charges, conditions of freezing, ! especially compulsory purchasing by the freezing companies of their' clients' i by-products from their 6tock, .lie , en- ■ grossed on' such license." Gore's next remit was not seconded. ■ It ran:—"That all by-products accruing , from stock taken to the freezing works ■ are the property.of tlie stock-owner, unless a sale from such owner to the freez- : imr company be effected." The council will resume at 9.30 this 1 morning. A paper was read by Mir. ,T. Orchiston, ' Wellington, on "The Manufacture of i Nitrogen from Air." and ihe subject of I "Tractors on the 'Farm" was dealt with in a paper by Mr. G. X. Hall, C'hrist- ■ church.