TOLL OF SHEEP

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 18, 14 October 1937, Page 11

TOLL OF SHEEP

PrftSB AsBoeiation.l

uCoIossal" Losses Through Parasites RESEARCH NEEDED

Telegrtph-

CHRISTCHURCH, Last Night. The sheep losses in Canterbury this year because of parasites were described as colossal by Mr. D. W. Westenra at to-day's meeting of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association. He urged that some form of research be immediately undertaken, stating Lhat farmers now were using all kinds of ''dopes" with no knowledge or experience of their efiiciency and the problem was getting worse all the time. Mr. Westenra deplored 'the departuro from the district of 'Mr. Alan Leslie, formerly of the staff' of Canterbury Agricultural College. "We were getting somewhero when Mr. Leslie was here," he went on. "Our greatest difficulty is keeping men in New Zealand. As soon as they have learned their job someone in Australia offers them twico the salary to work there." Other members agreed that the position had never been so bad as it was this year, Mr. R. C. Todhunter saying that he hoped farmers would not have ,to wait until all their sheep were dead before the research work was done. Mr. M. E. Lyons, secretary to the association, said that developments in agricultural research to include animal work could be expected in the very near future. The Canterbury Agricul- . tural College Board had beCn advised that animal research work would begin soon. Tho amount to be spent. would be announced in the Estimates. Both the Department of Agriculture and the Department pf Scientific and Industrial Research would take part in the work and several Ministers had shown tremendous interest in it. The co-opera-tion of owners would be sought and there. would be several "contact" men working on field research, . ,