WESTLAND’S DORMANT INDUSTRY.

Hokitika Guardian, 14 July 1921, Page 4

WESTLAND’S DORMANT INDUSTRY.

IX RELATION TO A DAIRY FARMER. (Contributed to Progress League by Mr John Murdoch, Ross.) The dairy farmer who is making the most of his time during the busy season finds that to profitably work an apiary in conjunction with cow-spanking simple means that be cannot give the necessary time to both, therefore like a wise man lie puts'all his energies into the business ho understands. He knows that if he wants to bo a successful beekeeper ho requires expert knowledge and to gain that knowledge he requires to spend at least one season with a commercial beekeeper or enter a training farm, such as the Government Experimental Farm at Kuakura. The dairy farmer says just imagine me the father of seven children having to go to school for six months to learn beekeeping. Who is going to look after the farm when 1 am away? What guarantee have I got that I will be successful even if 1 do put in six months at school?

In any trade of profession it is not every man who makes a success and when I toll von that the six months’ Gaining volt receive is only a grounding or a jumping off ground you will readily see that the result, success or otherwise, depend; f.nitely upon the grit or determinati..n to or. e out oil top in your composition.

Now, let us tome back to the farm. You plough the \alleys, sow your seeds, clover, t:elk.il. lotus major, etc. At certain seasons ot the year who lias not walked through the clover paddocks in the early morning and found the nectar secreted by the clover in such abundance that it is found sticking t<; one’s boots. Most of mi!' valley farms have a belt of Native bush at the back, very often running for miles, covered by Native flora., fuchsia, rata etc. On a summer’s day take a walk into the hush and don’t be surprised if you hear the bees. They are gathering nectar. Are they yours? This nectar they turn into honey. Are they yours? It so, this honey you can turn into money. Can you sec your position? You have clover in your paddocks, you have a rotation of spring and summer food in 1 !:«. native hush for your bees. Is it going to waste any longer? Have you seen the picture of two young calves

~ed together around the neck with a ton foot iope ? Two buckets ot milk arc placed twelve feet apart. The calves both pull until you would think their heads would come off. The next position shows them having a heart to heart talk when they both decide to pull together—drink together the one bucket and then—drink' together the other bucket. Do you see the point.' We have hotter and cheese factories at Arahura, Kokatalii, Wairaba and Mari I lari. The suppliers find enough work to keep them fully employed about the farm, but many of lliem know that thousands of pounds are allowed to go to waste every year in Westland simph because tliev cannot son a way out.

.May 1 be pardoned for making a siiqp gestion knowing that perhaps my onlv thanks may be “Fools rush in and blunder where angels feat to tread.” However, it would do no farm for the Directors of the above Companies thold a meeting to discuss ways ami

limans, njjpoiut two of their members to act as delegates to tin- next meeting of the Progress League, which ! am sure the hon, secretary will lie only too happy io arrange for. I think that each supplier would readil\ agiee to lettce oil’ say ]of an acre for * start, the more stones on the laud the better, build a slied : ay 12ft by 2-1 ft, and cart supplies between the factory and supplies she l. 4he factory would require to he enlarged and of two stories, the top to run the power extraction (8 frames), steam uncapping knives with benches long enough to allow half a dozen girls to operate the knives. By elevating your extractm you eliminate the difficulties of the honey pump, the forces of gravity being steadier and surer. If not already installed n small circular saw and various appliances used in an apiary can he made . ng the winter. The first two seasons work would require to he 1 done with an eye to increase, as I doubt if sufficient hoes could he bought to stock all four sites in that time. One manager could direct operations for the four factories during the building up process and this time would also allow him to train an assistant in each location.

If the four factories made application to the lion E. P. Lee, Director of the Department of Industries and Commerce' for a grant to do pioneer uni k in the beekeeping industry during the first two years, I think they would have a very good hearing. This Department lias been recently severed from the Department of Agriculture and if the Director is convinced this industry is capable of expansion in Westland and the directors of the four factories place before him a business like proposal. I

believe a siihstnutinl grant will l»o made. Wo have no Insj»oct<>r of flit* Apiaries Division in Westland. At the last conference in Auckland in Juno again the demand was made lor an in- . crease in the staff. The posit ion of local Inspector is still open, hut as no salary is attached (only travelling expenses) there are no claimants for the position. Here again the factories concerned might apply to have their manager appointed as local Inspector, as whether he obtains the position or not someone must be appointed to see that no diseased colonies are kept within a radius of three miles. For the position of manager you can get your choice of at least half a dozen good all round men of commercial experience in Canterbury and other districts. Provided a grant is obtained from the Department of Industries and Commerce as well as the allowances of a local inspector, the balance at the end of two years failing to show assets should bo very small. The factories named can. compete with any other company formed for the purpose of exploiting the honey business. They can run more economically as all have steam power available and several have sawmills on a, small scale. The amount of steam re- j quired is not groat, but is required to be regular during working hours. An- j other great advantage to-day is that i there is no difficulty in selling honey, j If you do not want to export, all you j have to do is to send your shipments to ,

the Honey Producers Asso nation, and draw your cheque. In conclusion let me say that I have had only a few hours’ notice, to prepare this paper, so hope you will overlook all mistakes. If any member of the Progress League would like to see a sample of Westland honey artifieally ripened in 21b parchment pots, call at Air Perry’s store and you will see it packed io comply with the provisions of the Pure Foods and Drugs Act by an old Hokitika school boy.