THE MINISTERIAL VISIT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2092, 18 January 1908, Page 2

THE MINISTERIAL VISIT.

THE 11 OX MR. IMcNAB TALKS OF AGRICULTURE AND LAND. IMPORTANT WORK IN DAIRYING AND BEE-KEEPING. EFFECT OF RECENT LEGISLATION ON LARGE LANDOWNERS. HOW TE ARAI IS TO BE CUT UP. “No, 1 have novpr been to C.i»bomo before,” said Air. AlcNab, when first questioned by t-ho reporter. “I Ira vo never been I'Ulhliw round than Napier.” GEARING IN LONDON. As to the most recent developments the Minister said : “The latest forward movement in. connection with tne Department of Agriculture is, lust or all, the placing of a New /calami vcte.rin.iry surgeon at the port ol London. “ Till is surgeon k under Hie control of Air. Gi,l-ruth, and' reports to 'Jiiin i-ust as other officers in Ne%\ Zealand'do. In this way all New Zealand moat arriving in London is inspocti d by ono ol our own men, who rci irts on its condition. “We are doing similar work in connect tit with the dairy industry. There will be an extra grader .stationed .-.b Londbu, who will be kept it that work for a period not exceeding two years, when lie will return a: d take up his duties here. The id.’ is to get information Horn a mail v. ‘lO liad done grading at this end, ol iho condition of the graded article alter it has been two mon-ns in the cool stores ol tho ship ami lias gone round the world. None or die men up to the present 'in reporting on our produce have been able to carry on their work with the ultimate knowledge of what wo aro toning at this end. Wo never had any absolute standard ol comparison b.v which to learn the changes which take place in transit. Air. Guekno has just gone Homo to niaugueato the work, .and ho will be arriving in a few days. Air. Realms is with iiim to do similar work in connection with the veterinary department. 1 am hopeful that a. great deal ol good will result from both those officers, not only in reporting on the conditio not' our produce at Home, but also in giving information of this class: Supposing butter is graded iiO points or over and shipped Home, we want to know, through one of our graders at the other end, how many points it depreciates on an average compared with that graded at 88 points and over 8G and over,, and whether it depreciates uniformly through the butters of all grades, or whether it is at a minimum for high grade butter, or at .a maximum lor low grade. That is a most important aspect of the dairy industry which no previous Minister has tackled.” “The reason, for this action?” queried the reporter. “Well, the fact is that wo wire continually getting complaints from the Old Country of faults alleged to rxist. in shipments of New Zealand butter, and we had no proper means if testing whether or not tho •al!o"a----rions were justified, nor of finding a remedy where fault did exist.” “We had to legislate last year to prevent an excess of moisture in our butter. The strengthenin'- of tho chemical branch of our Department resulted in our finding butters were being exported up to 22 and 28 per cent, moisture. We have legislated by fixing the limit ..at 16, which is high, but fits in- with the Imperial limit.” HONEY AND THE BEE. Bee-keeping is a branch of agricultural work that is becoming very popular. Strange to say, it is at the extreme ends of the Dominion, Auckland and Southland, that it has been most extensively taken up, and like bee-keepers all over the world, they find themselves unable to co-iie with tho question of foul brood I was very sorry when legislation was brought forward, to find a lot of hostility to the proposals. It is, perhaps, outside of regular interview work, but I may tell you of one prominent opponent of the Apiaries Act, who asked why should the farmer, who had onlv one hive, be compelled to put that hive into a frame, to enable foul brood to be coped with. He was a sheep-grower, and* had sheep grazing on a hundred hills, perhaps one of tho biggest flockowners in the Dominion. Air. Kirk,.tho Government Biologist, said -that the reason for getting it done was exactly on all-fours with tho case of a man who had one -sheep scabby, and who had to dip for the benefit of the man who was a fiockowne-r on a large scale. Wo got the slieepowner as a supporter of the Bill. Under the Apiaries Act we can force the man who has only ono hive to put it under such conditions that disease can be dealt with in order to build up the bee-keeping industry. We have a travelling inspector for the North Island, and one for the South, under Air. Hopkins, and we do not- intend to do anything for a while her yond the educative aspect of tho work. AVe hopo to ho able to carry on the Department afterwards, by showing the advantages of following the law, rather than by appealing to its penalties. AYe, are getting out information. in bulletin form on beekeeping, the class of hives, the most economical hives, .and the cheapest wav tlie work can be done. These we hope, to circulate shortly. INSPECTION OF DAIRIES. “Tho biggest development in the Department has been, of course, the taking over of the inspection of dairies. AYe have appointed from a very large application list about 25 men as inspectors, and they are now commencing their work. Air. Singleton reported, as a result of his recent trip to Canada and the Alotker Country, that as regards manufacture, we had little to learn from any part he had visited, but in regard to conditions of the stock and dairies, we were immensely behind the Alother Country. He further stated that nearly all the disturbing elements which came under his notice, when in London, as regards the condition of our products there, were due in the first instance to filthy dairies. AVe intend to work this inspection of dairies as in the case of the Apiaries Act. namely, in an educative manner, by showing dairymen the advantages of the system. 'As I said to a (Southern reporter, we are going to have a septic treatment, rather than an anti-septic treatment. AVe are going to stop the .dirt from getting into trie milk, instead of waiting to take it out after it has got. there. Before leaving AVellington I give the necessary authority for the expenditure of a thousand pounds, put at my d'sposal by the House, for the stall' under the Chief Inspector of Stock, and we will commence with a proper instruction of tho dairy inspectors, chiefly tho new men.

Mr. Clifton will have the services of a veterinary surgeon, to give the men elomoutary instruction and the means to he adopted by tile inspectors to ensure tlio detecting of dike-iscs in cows. The various .scientific branches of the Department of Agriculture will contribute to the teaching of the staff, and we -hope to secure a uniform system of work, and, above fill, an intelligent one. by these inspectors. I may say that the instruction work to the -dairy inspectors is hut the beginning of the instructive work to all inspectors in the Department, and -it is intended, when the svstem is in working order, tint no * mail shall receive a fixed payment until he has. during the term of temporary payment-, shown- in the school of instruction, that he is capable of the work given him to do. THE FLAX INDUSTRY. •in respect to llax, we have had various-specimens of flax grown at Levin, milled;. /.ukl l we are ahnor-t ready now with the information for millers. Before I became Alinister the various kinds of llax hud not been kept- -apart, -and the result was that the names of the different ~-a - ■} ties at Levin, gathered from all over dm country, were lost-, and we were placed .at coiicdcra.ble disadvantage, bide by side with the experimental work done we have set out varieties identified :!:: profitable, and the mischief of the past, it is to bo hoped will shortly he overcome 1 ’ DAIRY HERDS •hollowing upon my speech at Ps’werstou North in regard to the

schomo 1 brought forward on the very important question of dairy herds 1 have been communicating with *a number of men* interested m the dairying (industry m different parts of the country. I have an oiler now of LIOCXI, and 1 hope to got this {supplemented'. Tho diJliciilty winch was raised by some of tJioso_ communicated with, was concentrating at one point. A man offered' to givo me 80,000, to purchase a farm m tho Wellington; district, and' iT,UOO for the establishment of a milking herd of shorthorns at th.it farm. It involved, however, the establishment of a now farm within easy reach of the ono already in operation, and after careful conftidoration, it was decided that as it would involve an expenditure of £2500 per annum over receipts* wo had to decline the* oiler. My deal in this matter was appreciated by a Job of leading men. Air G. ]». Donnolly, of AVainiarama-, Ha wires Bay, presented a number of pure bred .heifers, and they will bo sent to Haukura, and others will bo obtained from England.” GOVERNMENT STOCK AT LEVIN. “AVhat are you doing to assist the farmer to improve his dairy herd? asked tho .interviewer. “At the present time, chiefly in the South island, and over ’a large portion of the North i-fin d, the shorthorn is tho favorite mdi. to buyers. They can get no •Mia rin tee when purchasing shorthorns that they aro not getting beef rather than milk, and thoy .otter, within certain reasonable limits almost anything to get bulls with a poigreo that give a fail- chance of producing milk strains, rather than buv in the open market. Ever since the scheme was suggested, I have received a- continual 1 stream of letters on fibo matter, and I can sav with confidence that a couple of hundred beasts a year could be disposed of without the slightest difficulty, having x State guarantee. AVe have fried ail methods to secure the best milking cows for the Levin herd, and we have found only one way to test it. that is by bucket and scales. 1 here in no other way —at least no other way lias been successful with. us. A\e hope that by doing this we will be able to raise very materially _ within a few years the quantity of milk produced from the cows of the- Dominion. The aim at Levin .is to produce an average of 10.0001 b of milk per cow per season, and 1 we air cad'" have a number of cows whose record is in excess of that quantity. G OYE RXAIENT GRADER. The matter of grading our butter was gone into with the Alinister and discussed. He v. is unaware of the real position, and would make lull inquiries as to the facts. He seemed very favorable to the idea, especially to a grader being provided for Napier and Gisborne, and expressed his willingness to receive a deputation on the matter. THE SALE OF HONEY. • Is bee-culture increasing?''' “Yes. It is very strong in my own electorite. Strange to say, some of the biggest- growers aro in .Southland. and they told mo that they could not deal with the local demand for honey in the adjoining towns. When they started, however, they found that'storekeepers and o here refused to deal with them, saving that honey was not popular with the people. The conditions were looked into, and they came to the conclusion th it the uninviting way it was displayed caused the trouble. It was all in one large box, and this was dipped into for each customer. Provision was made for it to be sold by the pound and 1 half-pound, without any dirt or injury, and as a consequence they are unable to supply the d-emind.” “Are the travelling inspectors coming to Gisborne?” “Yes,” said the Alinister,. “in the course of their duties. One is for the North Island and one for the (South. AYe intend to encourage the # formation of bee-keeping associations in the various towns. The members of the associations could attend io the man with only one hive and who did not know what to do with it. They would’ do this in their own interests, and this would leave the inspector? free to do other work. THE FRUIT INDUSTRY.

In reply to a question* .about- educative work in this section, the Alinister stated: “AVe have had one full season, and are now in the second season, and there has not been much educative work done yet. AY lien I became Alinister, trouble arose in Auckland, and upon inquiry I found that the conditions under which fruit was introduced' was more lax in Auckland than in any other part of the- country. The fruit fly maggot was soon -after found simultaneously in different parts, all coming from Auckland. The result was a- regulation putting the inspection on a different footing. The discovery of maggots put us onrthe watch. Some people said that- the maggots would not develop into a fly, that would in its turn infect more fruit, but the fruit was inoculated, -and Air. Kirk’s, contention that- it could grow in this country was proved. It wars then found in one place in tho South Island, and -the staff was supplemented and all -the inspectors were taken from their duties everywhere to fight the fruit fly. Anything tainted was burned or destroyed, .and the whole Department was alive to prevent this curse from getting control of the fruit industry. AVliet-her or not- our effort's have been completely successful will -hot be- known until the fruit of the present season has matured, and the fly, if present, liberated. “AVhat -about the Codlin moth?” queried the -reporter. “Is it not a fact that your Department claims that- it can- be absolutely suppressed', yet it is rampant- in our orchard'?” “I believe our experts do make that claim, ’ was -t-li-o -reply. Some little time ago some fruit-growers sent '•some -specifics for the treatment of tho codl-in moth to us for experimentas to their value, but we had no infected fruit- in ou-r orchards to try iton. There is proof that t-lie Department® treatment is effective ” SHEEP-DIPPING. Tho Alinister’s .attention was drawn to the a-ction of the local stock inspector -in condemning several pens o-f sheep at the Alataw-hero sale on Thursday, and it was suggsted thatthe Act might be enforced with less severity -at the present time. Air. AlcN ab-s reply was that prosecutions were entirely outside his influence, as no would not permit any suggestion that action of that kind might be due to political reasons. The head ot tho btock Department ' was in complete charge of -this work. Of course -if a person felt -aggrieved at Ims treatment by the head of that Department ho could appeal to tne Alinister and his case would receive consideration.

LAND LEGISLATION. Guestion-cd: on the above matter the. Minister said : Several points nave arisen, so far in connection with Hie operation of the Land Acts, they were minor points, it is true, hut -tho position is very satisfactory. I he election, of -a member of the Land by the .tenants is proving very popular. Hie first one was at Neison, where they re-elected the Goveimnei* nominee, and similar confidence in tfie former Government appointments is being shown in other places. ] .have noticed in several papers advertisements by leirind- announcing themselves as candidates lor the positions. Aiw'li- 1 "?' s in Die Act whercbv one-third of an area to lie settled can he set inside for married me:l with linulies has proved immensely popu-i-ar. l have more eorrcaioiidciicc over that, than anything else in the ■Jill, and there are several estates iiudci- tfie Land for Settlements Act, the Utakaike, Rauinate, Rewi, which (lave recently been- opened up. am] "1 each case this provision is beiw giveii effect to. One-third is for married men with families, one-third ioi' those who have been unsuccessful former ballots, and one-third open 1 bus the nvan with the family whip i ■’ been an unsuccessful -apiilicant has three cliauces to one of the -uu nvirri. l man who applies for the first tune. Not only that, hut wherever it is possible we ensure that-the thiiß set aside tor men with faniilieu sliall he oil the flat, so that the ohildren shaU bo able to get to school.” “AA-hat about tho Te Aral? AA’ill those conditions apply?’’

“Yes, in every r'espect. and also in tbe case of Ivan-ao Ivanao ” “One thing is strange—tint- in view of the criticisms I ha ve not heard -a single complaint —and great

numbers of intending applicants write direct to the Alinister to get information/ —about there only being 38 years’ leases.” SAIALL GRAZING RUNS. Asked as to the position of dho lessees of grazing runs, Air. AfcNab said:—“There are two kinds of leises in connection with these runs. One in under the Act of 1885 and the other tho Act of ISO2. The difference between them is this: Under tho 1885 Act tho leaso as for 21 years, a.ntT'if at the end of tho period it is not required for subdivision tho man is entitled to get a renewal for another term. Under the 1862 Act ho must get a renewal —in . fact, tho State has lost control of it—and the ten.net has with his descendants practically got a perpetual lease.” Last year the small grazing run .system of lands lor settlements was practically done away with, it being made 33 years by renewable lei.se. “But what is being done witih these okl leases ?” “The practico is this: The Board inspects tho property some time before the leaso runs out, and reports to tho Alinister if it is wanted for subdivision or not, and I act upon, thoi r recommend ations. ” “Have the original lessees the right after such subdivision lias taken pi. ico to 3; renewal of a jwrtion of their former allotment?” “No; although there would be nothing to prevent them from being considered in that respect.” “Has tho legality of this action yet been questioned?” “No, not up to tho present. There have been some protests, but so far no legal stops have been taken. Of course, our action in these matters is based on tho advice of tho Solici-tor-General. There have been, pretty well fifty of these runs that have already fa lien due in the South.” The reporter suggested that the refusal to renew existing leases might lead to injustice in some cases. “As for that,.” replied tho Alinister, “twelve months’ notice of its intentions regarding tho lease is given by- (he Board*, so that a lessee has ample opportunity' to register any complaint he may think he lias.” THE BIG ESTATES. “You had a busy time during tho session?” said the “Times” representative. .“Yes,” -replied Mr. AlcNab, “but I got through better than I expected. _ Kveryhing seemd to work to help us. The idea that we had* abandoned our proposals helped iis to get through our legislation. It got about amongst the members—how I don’t know —and also into the country. AATiy. even now, a lot of people Mil hive that idea, but with some of the large landholders the prevalence of that notion is beginning to disappear. The only time that we had tny trouble—that -was when there vas a tie on the division list—was lie result purely of a misundersta.nd- : ng. As a matter of fact, we were o.'ich stronger in what wo thought would he our weakest - spots, and con'd always command a majority of right or nine at any point. The secret of our success was that the Bill met the needs of so many people. AVith the 'mormons concessions given to- the pastoral tenant, for instance, giving him practically'all he had been battling tor for years, we gained a good deal of support. AVe did away with a lot or cumbrous machinery, and ait uigeel for owners to put their >wn value*? on their properties, after which the Government could buy it 12 per cent, advance. In t-ak-ng this actiou. combhied with what we did to sto-y former evasions of ! he graduated tax provisions, wo •hall have sneer*' did in bringing a. large number of properties on- the market for sale, and with the others he State will get a considerable advance in its land rax. A ton trill see that after Alarch Slat a new assessment will take place, and up the valuations will go.” Asked if he would give a nubl-’c uldress in Gisborne, the Aii-nTur replied that- he would have :to time. Ho had been asked to give -a rpm Hi at Opot-iki It was suggested'that ho give an -address on Tuerdav night, and he did not appear unwilling.