HERD-TESTING

Hokitika Guardian, 31 August 1929, Page 2

HERD-TESTING

GOVERNMENT GRANT

RENEWED

STATEMENT BY MINISTER FOR agriculture.

WELLINGTON, August 28. The renewal of the Government's grant of £11,650 to the herd-testing movement of New Zealand was announced by the Minister for Agriculture (the Hon. Mr Forhes) to-night. ‘‘The herd-testing movement, said the Minister, “has undoubtedly been productive of much benefit to the dairy industry and has been a distinct factor towards increasing the output of dairy produce, not only as a result of its direct effect, but also' by the increasing interest in the productive capacity of their herds, which it has aroused among daily farmers, including many of those who do not actually put their herds under - test. During the past-, two years the ex-

penditure necessary for carrying out tho work has been assisted by grants froig the Government, and it has now been decided that last year’s grant of £10,500 shall be repeated for the coming season’s work, together with £llsO for organising purposes. “Hitherto the Government grant has been allocated among the various Kerd-Tes.ting' Associations by a small special committee appointed by the Government and the herd-testing work so far as that carried out under what

is known ns the ‘group* system is concerned, which includes a majority of ‘the cows tested, been conducted iby the Herd-Testing Federation, a keen and zealous body, but not very closely organised, In addition to the group system there is also the ‘association’ system, which is less complete, although very 'useful in its way.

It is operated principally by dairy companies or by the Department of Agriculture. “In order to bring about a more definitely organised and more, comprehensively controlled system I recently set up a new central body, termed the Herd-Testing Central Executive, whose main functions are to direct the policy of the Herd-Tepting Federation and to control the allocation and distribution of the Government, subsidy to . all herd-testing organis-

ations, whether working under the group, or association system.' The central executive composed of four representatives of the Federation, one of whom, Mr Dynes Fulton, acts as chairman, and the chairman of the Dairy Board, the Director of the Department’s dairy division, and the Director of the Dairy Research Institute., ■ » 1 '

“It has also been decided to appointl a herd-testing organiser, who will Ibe directly 'an officer of the Fed-

oration but whose work will be carried out' on lines directed by the general executive, one of whose, aims is to have the whole of the herd-testing work so organised and carried out as to bring it more and more towards a point where it will become entirely self-supporting. The executive’- will also be able to ensure that the funds contributed by the Government will be utilised in such a manner as to give the best results . both to dairy farmers and to the country generally Hitherto the amount of the Government subsidy lias, with adequate safeguards, been paid on a per cow tested basis to the farmers whose herds , have been under test, thus reducing the fees payable by the farmers to rhe testing organisations. “Under the new arrangement,” the Minister concluded, “the herd-testing farmers will still receive the benefit of the subsidy directly or indirectly to the fullest extent possible within the limit of the amount available. It will be the duty of the executive to see that the money is utilised to the best advantage in the interests of herd-testing, and particularly of those farmers who put their herds under test. The central executive has already had a preliminary meeting and a further meeting is to be called at an early date in order that arrangements may be completed for the season’s work.”