POULTRY POSSIBILITIES

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 22, 26 January 1934, Page 6

POULTRY POSSIBILITIES

The poultry-keeping industry has now the legislative authority which, it has been claimed, will help it to reorganise. Plans for this are being made, and it is encouraging that in the opening proceedings of the Poultry Association's conference the extension of service to the public (not merely an increased return to the producer) was mentioned. There is scope-for this extension of service and. if it is given the industry will expand. Several years ago a Minister of Lands suggested that there was no room for more poultrykeeping and that the industry had reached saturation point. We do not think this can be maintained. A case may be made out if attention is given only to production of eggs for the local market without export. But the experience of Australia, on the figures given- by the Minister of Agriculture, shows that egg export may yet be established successfully. And what of table poultry? Surely with attention to production and marketing the consumption of table poultry can be greatly increased here. At present poultry is in the luxury food class and it will remain there until price and marketing make it possible to ask the public to regard this as a food not solely for sickness and high feast days. We know that it is said that present poultry-feed costs are against production for; a popular market. But that may not be the only reason, and in any case 'the poultry industry should now be better able to deal with the feed problem. When opportunities for small-scale settlement and employment are so much needed it is opportune to explore thoroughly the possibilities which may be latent in this industry*