NOXIOUS WEEDS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 111, 27 May 1937, Page 8

NOXIOUS WEEDS

-Pres9 Association.)

A National Problem

(By Telegraph-

DANNEVIRKE, This Day. The opinion that New Zealand 's noxious weeds problem might well rank in importance with the Dominion 's unemployment question, was voiced by Mr R. Seivers (Makara-Hutt) when speaking at the Farmers' Union conference at Dannevirke yesterday. "There is no doubt that this is a very serious matter for New Zealand as a whole and not just for the farming community," Mr Seivers stated. "Ragwort, variegated thistle and many other lesser pests are levying kuge toll on the production of this country, and I doubt whether the extent to which our production is affected is realised by the country as , a whole. I should imagine that the losseg to this country through noxious weeds would amount to at least one per cent. of our total production, and this amount must be well over half a million pounds. This, of course, is merely an estimate, but I consider it a conservative one. In all probability if the amount could be computed it would be a great deal more. If ihe loss caused by these weeds could ke seen or visualised by people there would be an outcry and action would be taken at once to deal with the matter. In the case of the Hawke's Bay earthquake, we all remember the tremendous efforts which were quite rightly made by the people of New Zealand to repair the damage. I would sugge'st to yo€ that the losses through noxious weeds over a five-year period will not be very much short of the loss created by the terrible catastrophe that I have ref erred to. It seems to me that noxious weeds must now be regarded as a national problem and must be dealt with from the point of view of protecting tha assets and the income of the nation. In fact, I believe that tkere is no better way in whfch we could em- / ploy those people who are- not fortunat? enough at the present time to be in permanent employment. I put f orward the suggestion that the noxious weed' problem \and our unemployment problem might well be cousidered side by side. It may be that if this is done we shall find at least a temporary solution which ds common to both of them."