N.Z. NURSERYMEN

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 107, 30 January 1919, Page 8

N.Z. NURSERYMEN

■■' . ANNUAL CONFERENCE • WORK OF'BEAUTIFICATION

The twelfth annual meeting and conference of the..New Zealand. Association of Nurserymen' was opened in the Dominion Farmers' Institute: yesterday I morning.: ..'.'Mr. .T. AVaugli, president of tho association, 1 -was in tlie chair. ' ; In recording the.delegates.a .civic.Welicome tho Mayor -(Sir. .f.'-1 , . Luke , ) eon- ■ jjratulated the farmers on having «uch a 'fine rallying centre nsthe institute build-. • injj.. iNext to .Parliiunent,. in' fact. ..as liiiuch or even more than Parliament itself, Voiilii bo ■ tlie importance of the 'worklo.be carried .out. in that, institute.' -He decided to' congratulate tho Nurserym'en'ii Association on the progress it had made, mid-said that in its work the municipal authorities of .Wellington were much interested. , Any-help which could be accorded'.to the Wellington City Kesevvets Committee, and its superintendent, Mr.' M'Kenzie, by tho associatiprt would bo greatly appreciated by the citizens of Wellington. Much remained to be done in clothing tho hills surrounding the city in verdure and in beautify-, ing the place, , and' in that direction valuable, aid could be rendered by the executive of the'.'association. . On behalf, of' the citizens of • Wellington he extended a hearty welcome to the delegates. In the unavoidable absence of the Hon. AV. D. S. MacDonaid, Minister of _ Agriculture, who was unable to obtain the services of any other Minister to act-in bis stead, the. conftrenco was officially opened by Dr. A. K. Newman, M.P., who referred to. the beautifying work which had been carried out in the Dominion as the results of the efforts of the nurserymen. He was confident that the people were waking iip to the value of tho work of the association. More needed to be done in the wny of beautification, and in this connection the Nurserymen's Association could render , valuable service. In Wellington it wan recognised that tho ugly' spots had .lo.be clothed, and ho hoped and believed that in yeai'3 to como .Wellington would beconie a..very, beautitul city. He trusted that the association would have. the., greatest-success in assisting to beautify the towns and villages of New Zealand.' Councillor AV. H. I'. Barber- also addrpssed the conference briefly, and tendered his wishes for the success of tho association's, activities. •

,;, President's Address. Tlie president,- Mr. T. Wnugli, ■ in hie address, made reference to the successful termination of the war.' Five- years ago the programme of tho association \vns stilted ■' to;. include :-;(a) The establishing of district councils; (b) the fixing of .standard grades for fruit trees; (c) the arranging for; -n--.varieties conference' iis a prelude to a poinological board; (d) reduction of varieties worked; (e) a costing systom, which would enablo the cost of production to bo assessed when fixing (selling prices; (f) a Dominion price list ;• fe)- tho abolition of auction sales; (h) the registration of all nurseries; (i) the protection of tho hybridist. Notwithstanding , the recent world crisis, the association had not been idle,' and its record was not to be despised. The larger part of the programme had already been attained, wliile the balance was in sight. What had

been done was but reuioving some of thu fuiidmnces to a bolter mUustry; preparing the way lor n larger- cu-oi>erniiyi> eltort. mid lor belter rwults, uolli us regarded themselves individually, ami in their relations to the State, 'liiey ncciled the best expert assistance iu vlieir organisation Hint it was possible to get— the most effective publ.eity campaign, tlio best , costing system, Uie inmost to. operative effort iu tiieir marketing opei--ations, tiro most up-to-date methods oi propagation, and ' the bast cultural; lAicicnig, and transport facilities, "All Vhess tilings can omy bo attained by, u> operation, not by competitive eiiorfy" said Air. AViuigh. ."Tiiere is no room in this little country lor mutually destructive agencies iu the £ama trade. Uvo arid assist your "Live and live.-well' is ;i good motto." lh.q complex reorganisation oi tho nursery buainess wou.u not be effected in a year or twu, but who, looking back on the history of the association, and its great sent standing, conk) doubt tho grqat possibilities that lay ahead? "Another point thnt needs atlontiou just now is tho training of our apprentices, both returned soldiers and lads," added Mr. Wangh. ."If tho best service is to Ijo givet,, ami the highest 'wages received, our men must bo trained men, botli theoretically and practically, and those now enterting must pass standard examinations. To attain this we neod Government assistance and s schools of horticulture near all the larger cities. This will cost mohoy, and our Government must l>3 prepared to find the cash to givo our people the best technical education." At the.suggestion of Mr. AVaugh, the delegates > stood as a mark of sympathy with Messrs. H. C. Gibbons. and I'. A. Green, who hnd both. lost sons at the front during the war. t Mr, ,A. Leigh Hunt, manager of the Dominion Farmers' Institute, briefly addressed the conference on the objects of that organisation, and invited. the cooperation of tho nurserymen In the work ot the institute. Dr. C. J. Ecakcs, Director of the Department of Agriculture, who was present, ■ said that in a country like New Zealand tree-plantin? plant-growing were most -important factors in its. development. \He urged tho necessity of maintaining a continual warfare against garden pests. Much had been done in that respect, but more scientific inves-; tigation'was necessary in order that every means might become available of assisting growers in their labour. One thing that had struck him in travelling about New Zealand was the question of forestry. Ho stressed tlio importance of that snbject, and commended its consideration to the Nurserymen's- Association. Dr. Eeakes concluded by wishing the conference success in its deliberations. ■ • v ' ■ Mr. F,' S. Pope, Secretary to the Department of Agriculture, also addressed tho conference, and trusted tlirit the association would continue to so good work

I Noed of Co-operation. i The'annual report of the executive stal- • ed that the year just passed had perhaps I been the most trying that the association j had experienced. Shortage of efficient labour,- increase in costs, falling-off in ■ demand for bread and butter lines, especially fruit.trees, had, trjon tojeiher, resulted in serious losses in many cases. The activities of the association' Imd, however, been Well maintained. The fixing of a standard grade, for certain lines of fruit trees .ivnd Betting this adopted legally, by regulation, was ,110 mean achievement, and '.should inaterinlly assist in forming a basis for that closer co-operation which niust come if t';ey wore to take their right pkco in the new order. TWe are sorry that, the Government have not. taken a keener interest .in our industry, and by planting co-operative, orchards prepared for the --returning of such of our brave lads who feel inclined to go in' for this form of intensive iiiilture,"' added the .report. . "At the time of our last conference the war clouds hung dark, and onlv the beliefs that our cause was just and v.-ould. in the end, triumplr supported us. To-day the .whole aspect hns 'changed, end thounh the nortaal of the past -will never be the normal of, the future, there arc good days ■ahead for those who can and will_ adjust themselves , lo the new conditions. 'The future Hμ. before 119, and for us it •will be largely what wo 111:1k ,1 it. Let our motto be: 'Cfl-operation is the life of trade.'" The reDort wan adopted. The. following resolution, proposed bj Mr. A. W. Hamilton (Hastings), wan carried:—"That Ihis ronfFrewn as'kstha , ' the. Horticulture liul"strie.s Bill, dropped before the wai - . shall lw ""din b'-ouf'it forward, and thnt it Flmli i"cliulft thp eettins up,of a Ponioloiiiral .Board, and protection'of. producers of new varieties of plants." ' ■ ' Election of Officers. The election of officer's resulted as follows:—President, Mr. .Robert Nairn (Chcisteliurch); vicf-precsidents, Messrs. D. A. Hay (Auckland) and A. AV. Bnxton (Chriiitchiircli) j secretary and treasurer, Mr. G. A. Green'(AunliK'id): ennimitfoe, Messrs. G. J. M'Kay, AV.' S; Johnston, and A. J. Shailer (North Island), mid f>. AV. Ivory, J. Millirlininp. and AV. T,., Grant (South.' Island):' auditor, Mr. AV. S. Johnston (Auckland).' ' . The conference dealt with a number of matters'in committee, ;rd adjourned until 10 a.m. to-day.