HAS BEATEN THEM

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 52, Issue 3269, 28 May 1943, Page 4

HAS BEATEN THEM

CONTROL OF RAGWORT STATEMENT CHALLENGED OPINION ON HAURAKI PLAINS Surprise at a statement made by the district superintendent of the live stock division of the Agricultural Department, Mr W. T. Collins, which appeared in the daily press recently regarding the eradication of ragwort was expressed by Mr D. G. McMillan at Wednesday’s meeting of the Hauraki Plain County Council. “Two counties were mentioned in the report and if correctly reported I think the statement made was far from correct,” added Mr McMillan. Continuing, Mr McMillan stated that ragwort had definitely increased right throughout the South Auckland area and has beaten local bodies who were doing their best to control the pest. “Ragwort is a great menace to New Zealand,” said Mr McMillan. Messrs C. W. Parfitt, D. iG. McMillan and the clerk were appointed to represent the council at a conference of local bodies to be held in Hamilton shortly to discuss the problem of the control of ragwort. Mr W. H. Cheale was appointed as a substitute foi’ Mr McMillan in case he was not available on the day of the conference.

The article referred to by Mr McMillan read as under:—

“No cases of farmers having been compelled to give up dairying in the Auckland Province owing to the ravages of ragwort had come to his knowledge, said Mr W. T. Collins, district supervisor of the livestock division of the Agriculture Department, when referring to a recent report from New Plymouth z that dairy organisations in Taranaki were concerned over the number of farmers, who, because of inability to obtain sodium chlorate to check the growth of the weed, had had to give up dairying. “Owing to the value of sodium chlorate in the munitions industries, it had been unobtainable for use on ragwort, said Mr Collins, but the department was endeavouring to secure an allocation for this purpose. Up to the present, the spread of ragwort in the province generally had not been such as to cause serious alarm, although there were some parts badly affected, including areas in the King Country.

“All the county councils which had taken over control of noxious weeds were doing very good work, particularly at Otorohanga and Waipa. Most of the counties were doing their best to check the pest. In addition to the use of arsenical poisons, they had employed large gangs to clear effected areas. The grazing of sheep before ragwort flowered had also helped to control it. Although arsenic spraying had been largely resorted to through lack of sodium chlorate, few cases of cattle poisoning had been reported.”